Pakistan

Gilani may announce parliamentary probe

The proposal, if accepted, will ask opposition to join the panel and help fix responsibility for the operation.

Kamran Yousaf May 09, 2011

ISLAMABAD:

In a damage-control exercise, the government is contemplating several measures, including a parliamentary probe into the Abbottabad operation which embarrassed the country’s civilian and military leadership alike.

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani is expected to announce the move during his address to parliament on Monday (today) to brief the nation over the controversy surrounding the death of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, The Express Tribune has learnt. Officials say that the government’s step is aimed at redeeming itself from the scathing criticism over the ignorance by the civilian and military authorities of Bin Laden’s whereabouts and the US midnight raid.

The suggestion, if finalised, will ask opposition members to join the proposed parliamentary panel to determine people who were actually responsible for the failure to track the world’s most recognised face in Abbottabad, a town with a strong military presence. Some officials have suggested that the parliamentary committee on national security should be asked to take up the case, instead of setting up a separate panel. The parliamentary panel formed after the joint resolution of parliament in October 2008 is headed by senior PPP leader Mian Raza Rabbani and has representation from all political parties.

However, a final decision will be taken on Monday morning, the sources added.

The suggestion was part of the several other steps discussed at the meeting of the ‘troika’ – the president, prime minister and the army chief on Saturday.

A government announcement after the meeting said the prime minister will take the nation into confidence over the Abbottabad operation.

No official was available to discuss the possible measures the premier might propose to restore the credibility of the country’s civilian and military leadership. But some government ministers indicated that the government would affix the responsibility of the bin Laden debacle.

Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US Hussain Haqqani said the government “must conduct thorough investigation into the incident”.

Although the army chief had already ordered an investigation into the lapse, the government wants to take the lead in an effort to dispel the growing impression that the civilian leadership is ineffective in matters of national security.

The move is also aimed at deflecting the increasing pressure on the president and the prime minister to quit over the controversy.

Also on Sunday, a protest rally of about 500 Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) activists launched a biting public criticism against the country’s military over the violation of the country’s sovereignty by the US.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 9^th, 2011.

COMMENTS (20)

Nadeem Ahmed | 13 years ago | Reply PM should thank Americans, who killed Paksitan's worst enemy. In future, Pakistan and American forces should act together to destroy their common enemy. All other stupid arguments are stregthening terrorists resovle.

Moazzam Salim | 13 years ago | Reply Today the US ambassador has openly threatened Pakistan, a supposedly sovereign country against a new unilateral action like the one US has already undertaken in case Osama's case. I may be a bit naive on these matters but isnt this against all protocols? Any other country and Mr. Munter would have had been thrown out but since this is us and our leaders have this mandatory "American Boot Lickers Gene" in their DNAs hence we will do nothing but to lick the American boots with more enthusiasm while having our Federal tail tightly clenched between our national legs. And to add salt to the wound this proposal about a Paliamentary probe into who assisted Osma in finding a sanctuary in Pakistan is to be launched. One wonders why there is no mention of a probe as to who allowed the attack on our sovereignty? By all means do root out the culprits who have helped Osma but at the same time at least look like a ruller of a nation which is a victim of a unilateral act of war, or is it too much to ask? Most of the newspapers today are carrying a huge ad on the front page titled "Aj ka Sawal" which rather boldly declares solidarity with the Government and tell the people that demanding resignations from the responsible elite is only bad manners. When the Government has this kind of a mindset then how can they be fair in finding the culprits in this case? they are pretty sure that neither the President or the PM from the civilian government and the COAS from the military establishment are the ones who are responsible for the pathetic performances. What good would this so called probe then bring?

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D. Powers | 13 years ago | Reply A Parliamentary Committee to probe Army and ISI............... hehehehehe. On a serious note, will the probe committee be able to get an appointment from DG ISI and Army Chief? I don't think so......

Khalid Rahim | 13 years ago | Reply Frankly the members of the Apex Court are only able to keep the bugs away from their seat by frequently waving their hands. Tweedle Dee in the Executive pool and Tweedle Dum in Turkish bath are intertwined in the same bathrobe. If a few Ostriches have managed to pull their heads out of the sandpit, it does not mean that we all are awake!

aamer | 13 years ago | Reply Please do not blame of army or ISI. Army/ISI is loyal to nation. We should support them. They need our support.

Asrar Ahmed | 13 years ago | Reply The PM has close to zero credibility. He should gracefully quit. The stunts of round table conference, Committees , Inquiry Commissions are all useless as the reports newer surface. I say this a very good opportunity for Pakistan to come clean and get rid of all forms of terrorism from the country. Let this country progress and invest in projects which improves quality of life of the citizens.

Hamid Javaid | 13 years ago | Reply The May 2 Abbottabad fiasco has given an already furious Leon Panetta of CIA a God-gifted opportunity to pin down ISI chief Lt General Shuja Pasha and get him replaced by a “friendly” ISI chief who would tow Washington’s line. Already the leading American magazine, Newsweek, has demanded of the US administration to insist on the resignation of General Pasha whereas an official source in the Pakistan Embassy in Washington confided to this correspondent that some US authorities have already sounded them about their intentions about Pasha. However, no formal demand has been put forward to Islamabad as yet by Washington to this respect. To the bad luck of Pasha and the ISI, the Abbottabad fiasco has hit Pakistan at a time when Leon Panetta-led CIA and Gen Pasha-led ISI were already at daggers drawn following Pasha’s insistence to curtail and bring into regular check all CIA operations in Pakistan. Courtesy "The News" People decide for yourself

Iftikhar-ur-Rehman | 13 years ago | Reply I don't think I or anyone else in the public will accept the crap he will dump in Parliament today.He has zero credibility!!!

Asim | 13 years ago | Reply Please resign both prime minister and president. Leave Pakistan for God sake.

Maryam | 13 years ago | Reply Strange somersault.After congratulating Obama,he wants to hold 'inquiry'.What nonsense?An eyewash.He and Zardari must be inquired into their NRO-Corruption cases and resign till proven non guilty and for disrespecting SCP orders and ruining nation.

Hamid Javaid | 13 years ago | Reply This would have been very simple “if a common person would have been working in their family business and they would have suffer loss or credibility due to his incompetence and reliability on the third party, Gillani, Generals or Zardari either may have fired or put him/her in jail. This is justification to get rid of incompetent culprit and to produce better results/solutions of problems new personality may have been order to hire to recover their own loss. Sine this is not their loss and humiliation only for nations which is not their agenda. Since this nation (Animal Farm) is been looted for many years and the above mentioned elite have no investment in this country and even their kids reside outside therefore have no vested interest to think from the common mans point of view safe common man. They have not been put to justice or ever taken their responsibility for their failure Then “Who CARES”. Nobody ever ask them the question WHY. Secondly, due to billion dollars kitty which they capitalized from this country and put in secret accounts in foreign countries and sent their kids abroad to take care of this wealth “which is the rightful property of this nation”? To hide their wealth and to save their kids from this nation they have been further hijacked by the foreign country bosses and are now in the custody of foreign countries. If due to current chaos they change their policies according to the interest of this nation. Their bosses may start blackmailing them as the wealth and kids are in their custody and decision maker of this nation will lose both. Their bosses have given them the top jobs to work for their interest and absorb the pressure of general public and suppress their thinking and rights what every pretext or threats is suitable to achieve this objective. Oh nation you are soon going to put to another illusion due to your own impractical approach relying on these people. Simply exert your pressure for their resignation and get rid of them. You elected them to serve you to protect and serve your interest and the nation and haven been pumping in billions of dollars worth tax to do this top jobs but they are servings somebody else not this nation's interest. Decide to live or die

Chilli | 13 years ago | Reply PPP is good in making investigation committees. A good move to dilute pressure. Their performance is below par and they disappointed the nation. We only see a puppet show being run by US.

Mirza | 13 years ago | Reply @fahad usman: I am glad that sombody had the courage to write what you did. Thanks, Mirza, USA

Mirza | 13 years ago | Reply @Billoo Bhaya: You said it man!

fahad usman | 13 years ago | Reply well,when our own govt. is too cowardly to do anything about the cancer of islamic fundamentalism,then obviously other people will have to clean up our filth. when this govt. failed to catch bhatti’s killers,failed to put into jail the psychotic maulvi who inspired the deranged murderer of taseer,then obviously other people have to do the job.our govt. has allowed our land to become the breeding ground for religious terrorists who not only cause death & destruction in our land but also ruin the lives of thousands of people overseas.

sadiq salman | 13 years ago | Reply our own authorities should have caught osama a long time ago,these religious barbarians have been wreaking havoc in our country for over 3 decades,as long as these religious terrorists were being sent to kashmir to fight the kaafirs it was ok for our conscience but after 9/11 when that outward flow was stopped & these people turned inwards & we’ve seen their evil ways inspired by religion. it is time all these jiahdi terrorist groups are disbanded & not allowed to reappear with different names after a while,enough is enough we want jinnah’s pakistan back which he outlined in his 11th August speech.

umair jawwad | 13 years ago | Reply @fahad usman: yup,anyone not filling their sentences with " mashallah,inshallah" has to be condemned & face social ostracisation as a bad muslim.When the likes of farhat hashmi,zakir naik & aamir liaquts were spreading their religious venom in our society why didn't anyone speak out ??? I'm told farhat hashmi's dars parties in luxury hotels were all the rage in the 90's,why was this religious bigot allowed to brainwash so many gullible housewives??? is she still around telling girls to be ashamed of their gender,to be ashamed of their bodies & to hide their sinful bodies behind sheets of extra clothing?

Billoo Bhaya | 13 years ago | Reply Gilani has no credibility hence he needs someone crutches to stand on. Get going mate! The world is not going to wait long to firm up their opinions. In this digital age information moves at the speed of light and without controls or borders. It is not going to wait for PMT (Pakistan Man Time) speeds. Can Gilani or anyone else please respond as to why ISI, IB local police did not follow the CIA men establishing a safe house in Abbottabad?? In Watergate scandal, Woodward and Bernstein were told by Deep Throat to follow the money trail as it would lead them to the culprits in the Watergate break-in. Why is it that CIA rent's properties as safe houses in Cantonment areas owned by Generals and Brigs without NOC's??? Aren't the Generals culprits of their own duplicity? Don't the Americans know that we do not even know about Raymond Davis' in Lahore and Pindi Cantonments, what would we know about the Bin Ladens ????? That time too ISI was embarrassed.

Tariq | 13 years ago | Reply Protests by Jamaat are nothing but paid thugs by ISI to show the US the danger of mullahs what a fraud

fahad usman | 13 years ago | Reply Announce a probe into shahbaz bhatti's cold blooded murder.The ppp has been on a course of appeasement of the religious barbarians,they abandoned salman taseer shaheed & they distanced themselves from bhatti.As if that wasn't enough they out of fear distanced themselves from the brave sherry rehman & forced her to withdraw her bill requiring amendments to a barbaric,inhuman law that really deserves to be repealed,not amended. Salman taseer shaheed & bhatti were the only ones who had the courage to speak out for what they believed in,but our mazhabi tabka could not accept that,they can never accept a person speaking with logic & rationale.No,our religious nutcases want us to follow blindly rigid,repetitive,dogmatic religious rituals & anyone who doesn't follow has to be branded a kaafir & we all know the fate of a kaafir in our religion.

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