Govt ducks question on Ehsan’s terror activities
Senator seeks details of former TTP spokesperson publicly claimed terror activities
PHOTO: FILE PHOTO
ISLAMABAD:
The government on Thursday finally expressed its inability to place before the Senate the details of terror-related activities claimed publically by former Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan.
Ehsan is currently in custody and in a video message released in 2017 he confessed to committing terrorism in Pakistan with the support of the top Indian spy agency.
In June 2017, PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar asked if it was a fact that the former spokesperson for the TTP and the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar had publicly claimed responsibility for “several terrorist attacks on security forces, civilians and state institution” in the country.
'Ehsanullah Ehsan should be given same punishment as Jadhav'
He had further asked: “If so, the details of those incidents and the number of persons martyred and injured in each of the same; (b) whether any case(s) has been registered against the said person regarding those incidents, if so, the details thereof; and (c) whether the said cases registered against that person will be tried in military courts, if so, when and if not, the reasons thereof?”
In September 2017, the interior ministry informed the Senate that it had sent the question to the Ministry of Defense for answer but “defense ministry refused to accept that question”.
The same answer was placed before the house a couple of times during last seven months.
Former spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan rips apart TTP in confession video
On Thursday, the interior ministry claimed that it had sent that question to law enforcement agencies working under its administrative control and those agencies had answered that the issue was not related to them.
“[The] interior ministry’s reply (to this question) may be treated as nil,” the written reply placed before the upper house of parliament on Thursday reads.
However, about second part of the question, the ministry admitted that a petition had been lodged in the Peshawar High Court by advocate Fazal Khan, who is father of Sahibzada Umer Khan who was martyred in the Army Public School incident.
“The respondents in this case are the federal government, government of K-P, ministries of defence, human rights, and law and justice, the ISI and the GHQ.
“The PHC disposed of the petition and directed the authorities concerned not to release Ehsanullah Ehsan without the court orders,” the house was informed.
About the third part of the question whether the cases registered against Ehsan would be tried in military courts and if so then when and if not then the reasons thereof, the interior ministry replied, “On receiving the case and recommendations of the concerned home department of province, the case of Ehsanullah Ehsan will be placed before the committee constituted in the Ministry of Interior. If approved by the subject committee, the case will be trailed in the military court”.
To another question, the government also informed the Senate that 636 Pakistanis, including civilians and personnel of law enforcement agencies, were killed while 2,052 received injuries in as many as 681 terrorism-related incidents reported across the country during 2017.
The death scale was the lowest during the last five years since the incumbent government took over reins of the country.
During last five years – 2013 to 2017 – some 5,244 Pakistanis lost their lives while 14,209 injured in 5,992 reported terrorism incidents.
Through his written replies, the federal interior minister told that the government had been working on developing a counter narrative against extremism and terrorism, and for the purpose the National Internal Security Policy had tasked the National Counter Terrorism Authority to construct a robust national narrative on extremism, sectarianism, terrorism and militancy.
The government on Thursday finally expressed its inability to place before the Senate the details of terror-related activities claimed publically by former Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan.
Ehsan is currently in custody and in a video message released in 2017 he confessed to committing terrorism in Pakistan with the support of the top Indian spy agency.
In June 2017, PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar asked if it was a fact that the former spokesperson for the TTP and the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar had publicly claimed responsibility for “several terrorist attacks on security forces, civilians and state institution” in the country.
'Ehsanullah Ehsan should be given same punishment as Jadhav'
He had further asked: “If so, the details of those incidents and the number of persons martyred and injured in each of the same; (b) whether any case(s) has been registered against the said person regarding those incidents, if so, the details thereof; and (c) whether the said cases registered against that person will be tried in military courts, if so, when and if not, the reasons thereof?”
In September 2017, the interior ministry informed the Senate that it had sent the question to the Ministry of Defense for answer but “defense ministry refused to accept that question”.
The same answer was placed before the house a couple of times during last seven months.
Former spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan rips apart TTP in confession video
On Thursday, the interior ministry claimed that it had sent that question to law enforcement agencies working under its administrative control and those agencies had answered that the issue was not related to them.
“[The] interior ministry’s reply (to this question) may be treated as nil,” the written reply placed before the upper house of parliament on Thursday reads.
However, about second part of the question, the ministry admitted that a petition had been lodged in the Peshawar High Court by advocate Fazal Khan, who is father of Sahibzada Umer Khan who was martyred in the Army Public School incident.
“The respondents in this case are the federal government, government of K-P, ministries of defence, human rights, and law and justice, the ISI and the GHQ.
“The PHC disposed of the petition and directed the authorities concerned not to release Ehsanullah Ehsan without the court orders,” the house was informed.
About the third part of the question whether the cases registered against Ehsan would be tried in military courts and if so then when and if not then the reasons thereof, the interior ministry replied, “On receiving the case and recommendations of the concerned home department of province, the case of Ehsanullah Ehsan will be placed before the committee constituted in the Ministry of Interior. If approved by the subject committee, the case will be trailed in the military court”.
To another question, the government also informed the Senate that 636 Pakistanis, including civilians and personnel of law enforcement agencies, were killed while 2,052 received injuries in as many as 681 terrorism-related incidents reported across the country during 2017.
The death scale was the lowest during the last five years since the incumbent government took over reins of the country.
During last five years – 2013 to 2017 – some 5,244 Pakistanis lost their lives while 14,209 injured in 5,992 reported terrorism incidents.
Through his written replies, the federal interior minister told that the government had been working on developing a counter narrative against extremism and terrorism, and for the purpose the National Internal Security Policy had tasked the National Counter Terrorism Authority to construct a robust national narrative on extremism, sectarianism, terrorism and militancy.