Nisar offers to share proof of agencies’ meddling in politics

Prime Minister Gilani continues to calm nerves, advising him and others not to doubt the agencies’ sincerity.


Zia Khan April 28, 2011

ISLAMABAD:


The alleged manoeuvring by spy agencies to redesign the country’s political landscape continued to occupy centre stage in the National Assembly with Opposition Leader Chaudhry Nisar Khan claiming to have ‘enough evidence to prove their mad meddling’.


But Nisar’s offer to share with the house the proof of secret outfits’ interference in national politics was apparently outweighed by an advice from Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani that ‘nobody should doubt the sincerity of our own agencies’.

“If you have doubts, call an in-camera (closed door) session of the assembly … I’ll share the evidence,” Nisar said in a speech amid desk thumping by members of his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), following a protest that  almost paralysed the proceedings for an hour.

Go Zardari go, stop drone attacks and don’t drop anymore petrol bombs on people were the chants the PML-N members raised in what appeared to be the noisiest protest by them since reports of a new political alignment emerged last week.

Opposition members of the party of former premier Nawaz Sharif have intensified their protest in the parliament after it came to light that the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is seeking an alliance with the PML-N’s rival PML-Q at the centre and in the key province of Punjab.

In a speech delivered to the National Assembly last week, Nisar had said that intelligence agencies were behind the proposed deal to marginalise his league.

“Call the security agencies to the in-camera session. I will present the proof of all the allegations that I have levelled,” Nisar said.

The opposition leader also sought to take parliament into confidence on all key national issues through policy statement by ministers.

But in a responding speech, Gilani appeared to be shying away from Nisar’s allegations against the secret agencies’ political ambitions and advised him and others not to doubt their sincerity to further the country’s national interest.

“The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is doing everything on the orders of the government … we should not doubt our own institutions,” the premier said in an echo of his past week’s comments in the National Assembly and a public speech earlier in the day.

He then invited the opposition for sitting together with the government to chalk out an agenda to steer Pakistan out of the economic crisis, saying close cooperation would help strengthen the democracy.

“If you (the parliament) fail, nobody will be victorious, then democracy will fail … we should look different from the previous government,” Gilani said, referring to the regime of former dictator Pervez Musharraf when the opposition had been protesting in the house for almost three years.

The premier also offered the government support if the opposition brought a resolution against strikes by the US-operated drone aircraft inside Pakistan’s tribal areas.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 28th, 2011.

COMMENTS (4)

Hedgefunder | 12 years ago | Reply @pardesi: Since when has these lot, ever acted in the interest of Constitution!!!!! They bloddy amend it on regular basis as when it suits them and for their own interests!!!! So lets not discuss anything regarding the Holy Grail !! Everything that takes place in Pakistan is possibly Unconstitutional, in terms of Law & Order, Freedom of Information, Equal Rights, Accountabiltiy of Public Servants ETC...............
Karim Khan | 12 years ago | Reply @pardesi: Very right! If the agencies are crossing their bounds and Nisar Ali Khan has the proof, he should go straight to the court, which is independent and entitled to appropriate action.
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