January 23, 2006	Monday	Zilhaj 22, 1426

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LAHORE, Jan 22: ARD Information Secretary Syed Zafar Ali Shah has urged the Supreme Court to take suo motu notice of the recent US attack on Bajaur Agency, which had killed 18 innocent people. Talking to reporters here on Sunday, he said the apex court should first find out whose laxity had made the attack possible and then try the man without delay, irrespective of his status.

The attack on Bajaur Agency, the ARD leader said, amounted to assaulting the country’s sovereignty and the matter should not be taken lightly.

Himself a lawyer, the ARD leader said in case the Supreme Court did not start suo motu proceedings, he would file a petition on the subject.

He said President Musharraf was also the army chief and it was his duty to take steps to defend the country. In case the US attack was not taken seriously, he warned, such provocative steps could be taken again.

Zafar Ali Shah said the amount of Rs 100,000 per person announced for the bereaved families was a cruel joke with the human life.

He recalled that in the Lockerbie plane case, for which Libya was held responsible, Tripoli was made to pay $10million for every US citizen killed in the incident.

He demanded that people killed in Bajaur Agency as a result of the US attack should also be paid an equal amount in compensation.

Shah, who is also vice-president of the PML-N, was critical of the relief and rehabilitation work being carried out in the quake-hit areas.

He recalled that after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre, Pakistan had sent a large number of civil and military officials to the United States for training in crisis management. Those people, he said, were quite capable of handling situation like the one created by Oct 8 killer earthquake.

But he pointed out that the US-trained officials were not seen in the field and the affected people had been left to the mercy of some generals.

Shah said unless trained people were involved in the relief and rehabilitation activities, quick results could not be expected.

He said the agency set up to deal with the post-quake situation was the product of an executive order while it should have been created through an act of parliament.