ISLAMABAD: The government on Wednesday condemned one of its key allies in so many words for questioning and criticising the role of intelligence agencies following the Quetta tragedy.

Leaders of parliamentary parties from the opposition benches also disapproved of Mehmood Khan Achakzai’s all-out attack against the top brass for failing to effectively check terrorist attacks in the country.

In a hard-hitting speech on Tuesday, Mr Achakzai had squarely blamed intelligence agencies for their failure to prevent the Quetta blast and had called for their bosses to be sacked in case of future lapses.

In his short speech on the floor of the National Asse­mbly on Wednesday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif repeatedly lauded the role of intelligence agencies and the armed forces, which he said had made supreme sacrifices to defend the motherland against terrorists.

PTI, PPP disapprove of Achakzai’s remarks; PM persuades opposition to end walkout

“The armed forces and other law enforcement agencies lay down their lives, while at the same time intelligence agencies have foiled many heinous terrorist plots.”

Saying that Zarb-i-Azb will be taken to its logical conclusion, the prime minister also repeatedly highlighted the unanimity of views between the civil and military leadership over ridding the country of terrorism. “The entire civil and military leadership has pledged to complete the ongoing National Action Plan and Zarb-i-Azb.”

Recounting the major terrorist attacks carried out in the recent past, the prime minister said that the country’s enemies were unhappy over the scale of development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and stressed that “we as a nation have to be united against these evil forces”.

But while the prime minister remained measured in his criticism of Mr Achakzai, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan left no stone unturned in admonishing the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party chief.

“Whatever was said on the floor of house against the armed forces and intelligence agencies warrants condemnation and I strongly condemn it. One can expect such utterances from the enemy, but not from the floor of this house,” he said, referring to Mr Achakzai’s remarks.

The most surprising thing was that there was no mention of Indian RAW and Afghan NDS in the speech, the interior minister noted, adding that this only affected the morale of the armed forces, whereas efforts should be made to acknowledge and respect their sacrifices.

In a detailed speech, the minister recalled how the PML-N government and the military leadership had collectively decided to use force against the Taliban in mid-2014 after talks with their leaders broke down. He also underlined how the present government had improved the security situation in the country.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf parliamentary leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi asked the government to come clean on the areas which it believed required more concentration to successfully check terrorists.

“We have been hearing about a lack of resources; Nacta is still in its infancy and there is inadequate coordination among agencies,” he said.

Indirectly rejecting Mr Achakzai’s argument, he said that the involvement of foreign elements couldn’t be ruled out when it came to incidents of terrorism in the country.

Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Syed Khurshid Shah also expressed his dismay over the anti-security establishment speeches. “I am really disappointed to hear what was said on the floor of the house the other day,” he said.

However, he demanded to know why there was no information on the terrorists who had carried out the Quetta carnage.

Walkout

The Pakistan Peoples Party staged a token walkout following the interior minister’s speech over the comparison he had drawn between the security situation under his tenure and the previous PPP government.

The opposition leader said: “We can also make comparisons, but we will not because this is an issue of national security. Why do you [government] want to spoil the atmosphere when we have offered unconditional support in the ongoing fight against terrorism?”

While the PTI also joined the walkout, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement stayed back. But in a rare show of magnanimity, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif personally went to the opposition gallery to coax Mr Shah and opposition lawmakers back to the house.

PM Sharif also spent a considerable amount of time in the house. Although it was a moment of great rejoice for Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz lawmakers, who flocked to him to inquire about his health, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq seemed helpless to keep the house in order.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2016