Army Jawans stop minister ‘showing force’

shami2k · November 9, 2010, 5:41am

These jack @ss jawans should face court -martial.

By Muhammad Saleh Zaafir ISLAMABAD: Acting Speaker National Assembly Faisal Karim Kundi has ordered the federal government to probe the incident of Monday afternoon that happened in D (Democracy) Chowk in front of the Parliament House and the Presidency on the junction of the Constitution Avenue and the Jinnah Avenue here in the federal capital where two Army Jawans stopped the traffic, including two federal ministers who were separately Aiwan-e-Sadr in their official cars with fluttering flags on them.
Kundi has asked the authorities in his ruling to submit the report about the incident before the session is adjourned sine die on Friday next. Highly placed sources told The News on Monday that the jawans were posted on the both sides of the road since Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani had to travel on it on his way to the Presidency. First Minister for Food and Agriculture Nazar Muhammad Gondal reached the D-Chowk in his car with national flag on it and he was informed by the jawans about the movement of the army chief. He stopped his car on one side of the road so that the motorcade of the army chief could pass. In the meanwhile, Law Minister Babar Awan appeared in his car on which the national flag was also fluttering. He instead of stopping his car in the rear of another federal minister car that was waiting for the passage of the army chief cavalcade opted to overtake the parked car and tried to pass through. The jawans stopped his car and asked him to stay back. Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan told the National Assembly that when the minister tried to defy the jawans and pushed his car slightly ahead, the jawans turned their loaded guns towards the minister’s car. He was duly informed about the movement of the army chief. On this the minister frightened and reversed the car.
Talking to this scribe, Nazar Muhammad Gondal disputed the claim of the leader of the opposition that the jawans turned their guns on the minister. He did confirm about the incident. Political observers are of the view that the jawans have committed indiscipline since they were supposed to give due esteem to the national flag. The minister told them that he was too proceeding to the Presidency; they had no right to stop him because regulation of traffic is the job of the police and army jawans can put in action only when the army is called by the civil administration for its aid under the relevant law. But in the case the jawans were on protocol duty. Chaudhry Nisar contented that they could make request for any action but not orders and they had no right to turn their gun on a civilian and especially when he is a minister with national flag on his car.
Yet another view has been expressed on the incident in question and the observers are saying that the minister should have defied the orders of the jawans since they were acting in violation of the constitution and law. “The minister had accepted the force of gun and refused to establish the supremacy of the constitution and law.” It is the message that leader of the opposition has given by claiming that had the similar incident taken place with him, he would opt to defy it without bothering about the consequences.
The sources said that the incident would be investigated by the police authorities of the federal capital and in the process the statements of the two ministers and other passers-by would be recorded. It is expected that the inquiry report would be made public since the matter has been discussed openly in the house of the Parliament. No official of the ISPR was available to offer comment about the incident.

Iconoclast · November 9, 2010, 6:28am