Tuesday, February 09, 2010, Safar 24, 1431 A.H   ISSN 1563-9479
 Group Chairman: Mir Javed Rahman Founded by: Mir Khalil-ur-Rahman Editor-in-Chief: Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman 
HOME | TOP STORIES | WORLD | NATIONAL | BUSINESS |  SPORTS |  KARACHI | LAHORE | ISLAMABADPESHAWAREDITORIAL | OPINION | STOCK INSTEP TODAY  NEWSPOST
  WEEKLY SECTIONS
    News on Sunday
    You
    Health Body & Mind
    Technobytes
    Iqra
    Galaxy
    Tapestry
    Education-Zine
    Us
    Cyber@print
    Investor's J.
    Viewers' Forum
    Today's Cartoon
    Style
    Business & Finance Review
    Instep
    MAG Fashion
    Blog
  FEATURES
   Opinion Archive
   Fashion Archive
   Magazine Archive
   Style Archive

  FINANCE
   Currency Rates
   KSE Index
   Bullion Rates
   Prize Bonds

 Commanders show concern at US aid bill

Thursday, October 08, 2009

By Shakeel Shaikh

RAWALPINDI: The top military leadership on Wednesday expressed serious concern over various clauses of the Kerry-Lugar Bill impacting national security.

“The forum expressed serious concern regarding clauses impacting national security,” said an ISPR press release made public following a daylong 122nd Corps Commanders conference held here at the General Headquarters (GHQ) with Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani in the chair.

The top commanders took up the Kerry-Lugar Bill and focused their debate on various clauses. In his opening remarks, Army Chief Gen Kayani dilated upon various issues related to the national security and impending challenges faced by the country. “Pakistan is a sovereign state and has all the rights to analyse and respond to the threat in accordance with her own national interests,” he said.

Officially, it was admitted that the Kerry-Lugar Bill also came under discussion to gauge the impact of its various clauses on the national security. It is said that the commanders decided to give “a formal input (on the Bill) to the government”.

However, the press release stated, the military commanders’ considered view was that “it is parliament that represents the will of the people of Pakistan, which would deliberate on the issue, enabling the government to develop a national response”.

Some defence experts say by issuing such a strong-worded press release, the government is rated as an “under-19 team of experts on the national security matters”. They maintain this snub by the military leaders to the government may lead to “confusion” over the issue of who holds, protects and defends the national security and in what way with its authority over such matters.

Some circles, however, said the proper way for the military top brass to convey its serious concern over the clauses of the Kerry-Lugar Bill impacting the national security was to present their viewpoints in the Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC) and services chiefs could do so in front of the prime minister, who chairs the DCC meetings. The services chiefs are ex officio members of the DCC, which is the highest forum in the Higher Defence Organization (HDO).

Some pro-democratic views expressed by the people linked with the government was that the military commanders had no right to express their views on such sensitive matters in public, as it would lead to create confusion whether there was a parallel setup in Pakistan.

The other view is that being defenders of the country’s frontiers and champions of the national security, the military commanders have to come out against such moves, which hurt or bite the national security in any way.

“The commanders have a duty to protect national security interest and they have to do so in many ways,” said a former military officer. The participants of the conference were given a comprehensive briefing on the current security situation in the country and the region. Gen Kayani in his concluding remarks reiterated that Pakistan stands committed to global and regional peace and wishes to live in harmony with neighbours.

Share this story!   
Back     |    Send this story to Friend    |     Print Version
 
 

Three killed as Sh Rashid escapes attempt on life
By Shakeel Anjum
RAWALPINDI: Awami Muslim League (AML) Chief and a candidate for NA-55 (Rawalpindi) by-election Sheikh Rashid Ahmad was wounded, while three people — a guard and two party workers — were killed when four gunmen    more

12 soldiers killed in South Waziristan
ISLAMABAD: Twelve soldiers embraced martyrdom while two others were injured in a clash with militants during the ongoing operation Rah-e-Nijat in South Waziristan Agency (SWA), the ISPR said on Monday. S    more

Plan to attack five-star hotel foiled
By our correspondent
LAHORE: The CIA police here on Monday claimed to have foiled an attack on Americans staying at a five-star hotel and arrested six terrorists, including a suicide bomber. Addressing a press conference, SS    more

Govt taking court for a ride
By Ansar Abbasi
ISLAMABAD: She fought her case in the media. She won her battle in the judicial forum too. But still the government is bent on making an example out of her for refusing to follow the illegal dictates of her min    more

Pakistan against arms race: Gilani
By Azeem Samar
KARACHI: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday said Pakistan does not want to be engaged in an arms race with any country. Speaking as chief guest at the induction ceremony of second Chinese-m    more

Punjab-Sindh water row Centre’s intervention sought
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Tension between Punjab and Sindh over opening of the Chashma-Jhelum and Taunsa-Punjnad link canals has touched a new high as the former has sought the Centre’s intervention. The Punjab has sai    more

French, Dutch fight over giving LNG to Pakistan
By Khalid Mustafa
ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin and his team is all set to thwart the attempt of an unscrupulous combine of oil industry heavyweights and some functionaries of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Re    more

Nine killed as no let-up in rains
By Nisar Mahmood
PESHAWAR: Nine people were killed and scores of others injured as heavy rains and snowfall lashed various parts of the country for the fourth consecutive day on Monday. Reports from the Shangla district    more

Malik orders NUML closure as protest enters 5ht day
ISLAMABAD: The protest of the students of the National University of Modern Languages (NUML) against thrashing of Professor Malik Tahir by Registrar Brigadier (R) Obaidullah Ranjha entered its fifth consecutive    more

Malik insists no Blackwater in Pakistan
By Muhammad Anis
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rehman Malik while responding to an accusation from a PML-N parliamentarian told the National Assembly that Blackwater was not providing security to the president and the prime mini    more

FBR gets list of properties rented out to foreigners
By Hanif Khalid
ISLAMABAD: Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has received list of properties from Foreign Office, which were in use of foreigners in Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar and Lahore, but these were not shown in annual tax    more

Repealing of 17th Amendment
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has begun efforts to create consensus on repealing the 17th Amendment before presidential address to the joint sitting of the parliament. The prime minis    more

Three suspects held in Mohmand
By our correspondent
GHALLANAI: The security forces arrested three suspected persons during search operation in Safi subdivision of Mohmand Agency, official sources said Monday. The sources said the security forces carried out sear    more

No presence of Blackwater, DynCorp in Pakistan, NA body told
ISLAMABAD: Secretary Interior Qamar Zaman again negated on Monday the presence of Blackwater, DynCorp or any other foreign security agency in the country. “Neither the Blackwater and the DynCorp nor any other s    more

Govt urged to take up water issue with India
By Asim Yasin
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Q, Parliamentary leader in the National Assembly, Makhdoom Faisal Saleh Hayat while urging the government to take up the issue of ‘water terrorism’ with New Delhi, has question    more

Avalanche kills 17 Indian soldiers in held Kashmir
HELD SRINAGAR: Seventeen Indian soldiers were killed on Monday in an avalanche that slammed into a group of 70 combat troops at a high-altitude warfare training camp in Kashmir, the army said on Monday.    more

Taliban defiant as Afghans flee ahead of assault
KANDAHAR: The Nato commanders urged the Taliban to surrender as troops dug in on Monday for a major assault on their key stronghold in southern Afghanistan, sending thousands of residents fleeing. The Ta    more

Plea to freeze foreign accounts
By our correspondent
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday ordered the federal government to submit a reply within four weeks on a petition seeking freezing of accounts in foreign banks and recovery of illegal assets accumu    more

Attack on Sh Rashid
RAWALPINDI: The PML-N candidate for by-polls from NA-55, Malik Shakil Awan, has announced suspension of electioneering for a day to mourn the death of those killed in the attack on the office of his rival, Shei    more

Indian forces to halt Kashmir rally outside UN office
HELD SRINAGAR: The held Kashmir authorities deployed thousands of police and troops on Monday to prevent a protest outside the UN office here over the recent killing of two teenage boys by Indian security force    more

briefs...
20 die in Afghan floods, avalanches KANDAHAR: Twenty people have died in floods and avalanches triggered by some of the heaviest rain and snow in Afghanistan for 50 years, an official said on Monday. At    more

Google
 
 
The News Home  |  Jang Group Online  |  Jang Multimedia  |  Jang Searchable  |  Ad Tariff / Enquiry |  Editor Internet  |  Webmaster