November 1, 2002	Friday	Sha’aban 25,1423

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ISLAMABAD, Oct 31: The Pakistan People’s Party has condemned the kidnapping and torture of PML (N) leader Siddiqul Farooq by sleuths of a state agency.

The party demanded that the incident be thoroughly probed and the suspicions allayed that former head of a security agency still employed that agency for settling scores.

If the perception of employing the agency for personal ends persisted it will do incalculable damage to the institution of the military and the state agency itself.

Stating this, a party spokesman said in a statement here on Thursday that the kidnapping and torture of PML (N) leader by sleuths of the agencies was most reprehensible and must be condemned in the strongest terms.

The spokesman said the kidnapping and torture of Siddiq ul Farooq close on the heels of his startling disclosures and allegations against the railways minister, who also happens to be a retired lieutenant general and a former chief of the ISI, lends credence to the allegations that the sleuths of the state agency were involved at the behest of the former boss of the agency.

“The abusive language of the railways minister and former ISI chief in rebutting the allegations of corruption levelled by Mr Farooq clearly showed that lacking in arguments and reason to clear his name he lost his cool and employed language unbecoming of a gentleman in dismissing the allegations of the accuser.

“The right and proper course for the minister should have been to face up the allegations and clear his name before the competent forum instead of losing temper and resorting to tricks of the dirty brigade.

“The condemnable incident has shown once again that generals even after retirement consider themselves beyond accountability. They believe that there has to be two sets of laws, one for the civilians and the other for serving and retired army officers.

“The PPP also demands that the allegations of corruption against the federal minister be investigated on priority basis by the NAB without fear or favour. The party also expresses sympathy with Mr Farooq.”