PPP to raise Aziz statement on militants in National Assembly

In an interview, the PM’s senior aide, Sartaj Aziz, had said Pakistan should not target all militant groups

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) submitted a call attention notice in the National Assembly on Thursday against a statement made by Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security Sartaj Aziz regarding the ongoing military offensive in the federally administered tribal areas.

“We would request the attention of the defense minister to a recent statement of Sartaj Aziz, in which he said Pakistan should not target militants who do not directly threaten the country’s security,” said the call attention notice submitted by PPP members on Friday.

The statements, which were made during an interview with the BBC Urdu, stirred controversy in and outside the country.

A day after it was published, the Foreign Office issued a clarification that the operation against militants was indiscriminate; however, the controversy is yet to die down.

It had come at a time when army chief was on his maiden visit to US.

Earlier, the PPP had submitted a similar motion with the Senate Secretariat. PPP holds the offices of the leader of opposition in both houses of Parliament, and has the largest number of members in Senate.

It is expected that the issue would be taken up once the houses start their sessions.

According to the office of the leader of opposition in the National Assembly, such irresponsible and alarming statement from a government representative on a sensitive issue of terrorism is a matter of grave concern for the public.

The office added that the statement is a clear negation of Pakistan’s policy against terrorism, and an effort to spoil the Operation Zarb-e-Azb being carried out against militants of all shades. “Such statements give world an opportunity to point fingers at Pakistan and doubt the credibility of the efforts to uproot terrorists and terrorism from the country."

Further, the opposition leader's office said Aziz's statement also undermines the resolve of Pakistanis who are willing to fight militants and militancy in the country.