OBL dilemma: Sherry Rehman calls for unity

Government, opposition, state institutions, military, intelligence agencies need to work together, says Rehman.

Former federal Information Minister, and a PPP MNA, Sherry Rehman called for all political parties, institutions, military and intelligence agencies to get on the same page with regards to forming a unified front in light of the recent Osama Bin Laden debacle. She raised her call, backed by other participants on last night’s Express 24/7 show Witness with Quatrina Hosain.

Sardar Ayaz Sadiq of the PML-N and Senator Waseem Sajjad of the PML-Q were guests along with Rehman. The show continued debate over the aftermath of the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden and resultant policy quandary that Pakistan found itself in.

Rehman pointed out early in the program that it was inappropriate for the government to "go it alone" with regards to Pakistan’s official stance and policy in light of a clear and present danger which the Pakistani people faced. While it was deplorable that the government had taken an extraordinary amount of time to formulate a response, they were now taking the right course of action by waiting on a ground investigation report and taking the parliament on board in forming policy.

Sardar Sadiq, whose party has faced criticism for having had meetings with Bin Laden during its rule in mid-nineties, said that the government so far had offered an inadequate response for the raid and the subsequent global allegations which paint Pakistan as safe haven for terrorists.

He pointed out that the Pakistan needs to be careful in the policy that it drafts as critical things like aid come with certain strings attached and there was a lot of double speak as epitomised by the rumoured deal former President Pervaiz Musharraf had made a deal with the Bush administration.

Senator Waseem Sajjad highlighted a critical point regarding Osama bin Laden’s movement, following the earth quake in 2005, there was a lot of people migration in the northern part of Pakistan which presented an intelligence nightmare making it near impossible to track. Furthermore, while there was a shock in the international community with the behaviour of the women, it was not out of place in a city like Abbottabad, a conservative town where this is more or less normal practice.

Rehman was of the view that the current civilian government had made it clear to the world their marked difference in policy towards terrorism from the Musharraf regime. The nuclear assets, which are touted as a cause for concern, were quite secure, having a three tier launch mechanism, effectively ruling out the possibility of a rogue detonation.

Sardar Sadiq believed that the government needed to review the relations Pakistan had with the US given that Pakistan had been bearing the brunt of terrorist attacks with over 30,000 dead and had been on the frontlines in combating terrorists with hundreds of al Qaeda and Taliban fighters either killed or arrested. However, at the same time Pakistan needs to be wary of the strings that come with US aid.

Senator Sajjad was of the view that the ISI and the military were unaware of Bin Laden’s whereabouts and this was known to US who had been monitoring the proposed site for months, further reflected in soft toned statements by US officials. With a full on war with the US not being an option, Pakistan and US needed to work together and bridge the trust deficit that had grown between the two allies over recent years.

Rehman appealed that this was the time that the US and the world empowered Pakistan against terrorists, instead of dumping on Pakistan.