January 16, 2006	Monday	Zilhaj 15, 1426

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ISLAMABAD, Jan 15: Five opposition Senators moved an adjournment motion to discuss the situation arising out of the US missile attack on Damadola village in the Bajaur Agency on Jan 14. The adjournment motion was jointly moved by opposition leader Mian Raza Rabbani and Senator Farhatullah Babar of the PPP, Asfandyar Wali Khan and Ilyas Khan Bilour of the ANP and Muhammad Ishaq Dar of PML-N.

Criticizing the government for what they termed its inaction over the missile attack, the movers accused the government of ambivalence in its response until thousands of protestors ransacked an NGO and government offices in Khar (the Agency headquarters) and disrupted normal life. They said it forced the government to lodge a protest with the US over the incident.

However, protests in the past had not resulted in deterring violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty or the killing of innocent citizens, the explanatory memo said.

They said that a week before the missile attack, some coalition troops in Afghanistan had crossed over into North Waziristan, conducted a search operation and took away two tribesmen. The intrusion was followed by helicopter firing on house of a religious leader in the area killing eight people, including women and children, the motion said.

“We were told that the government lodged a protest with the US government but no one knows about the outcome of the protest.”

They said the incident of Jan 14 would not have occurred if the response to earlier protests had been positive or encouraging.

“It is imperative that normal business of the House is adjourned to take up the matter as grave issues of sovereignty, killings of innocent people and our protests falling on deaf ears are involved,” the motion said.