 |
| |
WEEKLY
SECTIONS |
 |
|
 |
| PML-N warns against fallout of military operation |
|
|
|
Parliamentarians support military action as last option
Thursday, May 14, 2009
By Asim Yasin & Muhammad Anis
ISLAMABAD: The PML-N on Wednesday came down hard on the government over the military action against extremists and militants in Swat and Malakand and questioned the reason for the operation while fearing that if it failed, it would put Pakistan’s stability at risk.
In a hardhitting speech in the National Assembly against the decision of the government to launch the military operation, Khawaja Saad Rafiq of the PML-N suggested that it was time to settle the issue through consultations internally rather than toeing the American line. He claimed that the Pakistan Army had deployed four divisions in Swat and Malakand, withdrawing them from the eastern border.
He also questioned the role of the independent judiciary in such circumstances for which, he claimed, they had given scarifies. Though other members of the PML-N deplored the logic behind the Army operation, Khawaja Saad Rafiq categorically opposed the same. The opposition also wanted to know the government strategy to provide shelter and relief to half-a-million people displaced from their homes and half-a-million more expected to be displaced from these areas in the coming days.
Khawaja Saad Rafiq accused the government of mishandling the issue of the Taliban, adding the country had become a conglomerate of ‘international beggars’ imploring relief for the IDPs. He said if military operation was wrong in Balochistan, Karachi and Hyderabad, then how could one justify it in Swat and Malakand.
He said though schools were burnt in Swat but people were not displaced as was seen now. He said dialogue was the best way to resolve all difficult issues and urged the government to re-launch negotiations with the parties concerned in Swat and adjacent areas.
Another PML-N parliamentarian Chaudhry Birjees Tahir said parliament was not taken into confidence before starting the operation in Swat. He pointed out that presently nearly 1.5 million displaced people were in miserable conditions in IDP camps. Birjees Tahir also questioned the performance of intelligence agencies and security forces like Rangers saying the terrorists attacked schools of nearly 1,000 trainees in Lahore and the government later said three of them (terrorists) were killed and one arrested alive. “The agencies and Rangers have failed to show even 1% performance. They need to face accountability,” he said.
Begum Shahnwaz Wazir Ali of the PPP went all out to support the military operation saying it was the only option left with the government. She said Army action had been launched against the militants and we had to stand by our armed forces to wipe out militants and terrorists from the country.
Sardar Bahadar Ahmed Khan Sehar urged the government that immediate steps should be taken for rehabilitation of the displaced persons. Kishwar Zehra criticized the actions of Taliban and termed them un-Islamic and supported the operation against militants in Swat and its adjacent areas.
Begum Nasim Akhtar Chaudhry appreciated the steps taken by the government to eliminate militancy and terrorism from the country. . Bushra Gohar urged support to the Army operation to get the required results. Maulana Muhammad Qasim welcomed the steps taken by the government for the displaced persons.
|
|
|
| Back
| Send
this story to Friend | Print
Version |
|
|
|
ISSN 1563-9479 
