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ISLAMABAD: Opposition Leader in the National Assembly and PML-N stalwart Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan rejected on Tuesday new “terms of engagement” agreed with the United States and urged the government to take parliament into confidence over the issue.
“The PML-N will not allow the government to hold secret meetings and make agreements with the US without taking parliament into confidence,” he told a news conference.
He regretted that within three days of the passage of the unanimous resolution by parliament against drone attacks in tribal areas, the US carried out similar raids and Nato helicopters violated Pakistani airspace while US Senator John Kerry was in Pakistan.
He said after the violation of the country`s airspace, Nato supply should have been stopped in the light of the resolution.
Chaudhry Nisar held both the government and the armed forces responsible for no action against what he called clear violations of the resolution. He said the PML-N considered the armed forces responsible as they were “guarantors” of the resolution and were required to respond to such actions after the resolution had given them a “complete mandate” to defend the country`s frontiers.
The PML-N leader said his party had come to know through media that the government had agreed on new “terms of engagement” with the US under which both the countries would carry out joint operations against any possible high-value target. “We need an explanation from the government and the armed forces about it. This is unacceptable to us.”
Chaudhry Nisar said that at a time when the country`s armed forces and intelligence agencies were under criticism and pressure “we trusted them”. Therefore, he said, “the responsibility to protect it (resolution) is with the armed forces because it is they who will have to respond”.
The opposition leader disclosed that he had written a letter to be sent to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani suggesting the names of retired judges, politicians and people from the media and civil society who could be appointed as members of an independent commission to be formed in accordance with the parliamentary resolution to probe the May 2 Abbottabad incident. He, however, said his party was just floating these names even without consulting them.
When pressed repeatedly by reporters, the PML-N leader disclosed some names. The list included Justice (retd) Shafiur Rehman, Justice (retd) Nasir Aslam Zahid, Justice (retd) Fakharuddin G. Ebrahim, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai, SCBA President Asma Jehangir and Majeed Nizami.
In reply to a question, he said his party had withdrawn its earlier demand that those responsible for the Abbottabad incident should resign after its demand for constitution of an independent commission was included in the resolution. He accused the government members of spreading information about the May 13 in-camera sitting of parliament and threatened to divulge details of the proceedings if they continued to do so.
Chaudhry Nisar said the government members were feeding wrong information to the public through media about the proceedings for political point-scoring and the opposition was silent on the advice of the speaker. “However, if things continue in the same way, then it will become my responsibility to present real facts before the nation about the in camera proceedings in the next few days.”
He also said he would have no option but to present the original draft of the resolution that was presented by the government after getting it prepared by the ministry of foreign affairs.
Chaudhry Nisar alleged that both the PPP and PML-Q members had tried hard to pitch the PML-N and the armed forces against each other during the joint sitting, but he did not elaborate.
He said that except for one point -- which he did not mention -- there was nothing new in the military briefing requiring secrecy.
