US operation: Bars demand independent probe

Lawyers term Operation Geronimo to be against Pakistan sovereignty.

LAHORE:

Bar associations across the country demanded on Monday that an impartial commission be made for investigations into the US operation in Abbottabad that killed Osama bin Laden.

Representatives of the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), Punjab Bar Council (PbBC), Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) and Lahore Bar Association (LBA) said that those involved in the US operation, whether it was the president, prime minister or officers of the armed forces, should be held responsible.

At a joint press conference here, participants said the commission should include retired, non-controversial judges and some respected personalities from other walks of life.

SCBA President Asma Jahangir termed Operation Geronimo as an attack on the sovereignty of Pakistan. The failure of intelligence agencies in assessing the presence of foreign choppers in the area should be pointed out, she added. The SCBA chief said it is time to realise the sensitivity of affairs. “East Pakistan was lost and the Hamoodur Rehman Commission Report was swept under the carpet. There is also no information on what happened to the Kargil Commission,” she said.

The civilian and defence leadership must make a comprehensive strategy to defend the country and bring our home in order, she said.

Jahangir also criticised the elevation of judges without consulting bar associations. “Elevating judges on the basis of intelligence reports is not fair,” she added.

PBC Vice-Chairman Latif Afridi said the operation was on the integrity and solidarity of Pakistan. He said it is time to hold spy agencies accountable.

Afridi said that in civilised countries officials resign in such situations, but in our country, different statements are being published by those responsible. He said a commission should be constituted comprising brave and impartial members, so that details on the attack can be made public. He said whosoever is responsible for the negligence, including the president, prime minister and intelligence agencies, must be brought to book.

SCBA secretary Qamar Zaman Qureshi said that if attacks such as that on 9/11 can occur in the US, then how can other countries be saved? It is not fair to criticise our own institutions, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 10^th, 2011.