Mumbai attack remarks: PM suggests forming Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Reiterates that statement was misreported by Indian media; say issue fanned for political reasons

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has proposed the formation of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to probe former premier Nawaz Sharif's controversial statement with regard to the alleged role on Pakistani non-state actors in the November 2008 Mumbai attacks.

“Parliament, if it so desires, can form a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to go deep into the issue,” Abbasi said on Tuesday while speaking on the floor of the lower house with regard to remarks that stirred up a huge controversy and strained the ruling party’s relationship with the establishment.

“The former prime minister did not say the militants were deliberately sent from Pakistan for Mumbai attacks and the Indian media misreported Sharif’s statement for their own designs.

“Unfortunately people over here also fell prey to Indian machinations. Those who made speeches in the assembly haven’t read the story,” he added.



On May 12, Nawaz Sharif said in an interview with Dawn that, “Militant organisations are active. Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Explain it to me. Why can’t we complete the trial?”

“We have isolated ourselves. Despite giving sacrifices, our narrative is not being accepted. Afghanistan’s narrative is being accepted, but ours is not. We must look into it,” he had said.

His remarks were immediately picked up by Indian media, which termed the statement as a confession of Pakistan’s role in the 2008 Mumbai attacks that left 166 people dead.

Rejecting the opposition’s criticism of Sharif, he said this criticism is not based on reality. He said all this controversy started due to misreporting and it should be ended now.

“Nawaz Sharif does not require a certificate of patriotism from anybody. He is the one who made the defence of the country invincible and made Pakistan the nuclear power,” he added.

Abbasi said whatever Sharif said is not a new matter as Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf, Gen (retd) Shuja Pasha, Gen (retd) Mehmood Durrani, Imran Khan and Rehman Malik have expressed similar thoughts in the past. “National security issues must not be exploited for political point scoring,” he added.

The PM said Pakistan has a consistent policy of not allowing the use of its soil for attacks against any other country. This has been the policy of Pakistan in the past and the policy during the incumbent Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government, he said.

The premier said as the issue is being fanned for political objectives, he convened a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) to reaffirm the point of view of the government.

However, the opposition benches rejected Abbasi’s statement and chanted, “Jo Modi ka yaar hai, ghaddar hai ghaddar hai (the one who is a friend of [Indian premier Narendra] Modi is a traitor)”.

The opposition also staged a walkout from the house over a sarcastic statement made by the PM. The statement itself was expunged from the record by the chair on the protest of the opposition.

It is rare for remarks made by the prime minister – the leader of the house – to be expunged from the record.

Earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Shah Mehmood Qureshi expressed disappointment over the former PM’s statement. He said that due to the controversial claim, Pakistan is moving closer to being placed on the blacklist of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

“Still Nawaz Sharif believes there is nothing wrong in his interview. However, PM Abbasi claims that Sharif’s statement was misinterpreted. But if it was so, then why the NSC meeting was called?” he said.

He demanded that Sharif should seek forgiveness from the nation and that his name should be placed on the exit control list (ECL). He said it is a test case for the PML-N whether it is standing with Pakistan or Sharif.

Sahibzada Tariqullah of Jamaat-e-Islami said the matter should be investigated. He said if Sharif does not clarify it, then action should be taken against him for violating the sovereignty of the country.

MQM-P’s Saman Sultana Jafri asked why Sharif remained silent over the Mumbai attack issue when he was the prime minister and why he allowed proscribed organisations to work in freely during his time in office. She also said that due to his statement, there are chances that the FATF may impose restrictions on Pakistan.



“Sharif’s statement has negated the sacrifices rendered by the security personnel and the people in the war on terror,” she added. Shazia Marri of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) said the comment hurt the sentiments and emotions of the people of Pakistan.

On the directives of the chair, the issue of allegations of NAB of money transfer by Nawaz Sharif was transferred to the Standing Committee on Law and Justice.

Budget debate

The NA also held a discussion on the charged expenditures pertaining to different departments including the Pakistan Railways, civil works, the Federal Tax Ombudsman, the Islamabad High Court, the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the Pakistan Post.

The house approved 94 demands for grants pertaining to different departments for the next fiscal year. No cut motions were moved by the opposition on these demands for grants. The house was adjourned to meet again at 10:30am when a member of opposition pointed out the quorum.

Earlier, the media boycotted proceedings of the house to protest the sacking of journalists by different media organisations.  They also protested against the filing of cases against the office bearer of Khirpur Press Club under Anti-Terrorism Act.

When no one from the government contacted with the journalists to learn about their grievances, they staged a protest sit-in at the gate number one of the Parliament. The PTI MPs, Asad Umar and Arif Alvi, later visited them and assured that they would attempt to highlight their issues on available forums.