I wonder if Musharraf has the balls to go address the parliament.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
PML-N seeks commission on Kargil; demands arrest and trial of Musharraf
By Mumtaz Alvi
ISLAMABAD: President Pervez Musharraf came under scathing criticism from the treasury lawmakers in the National Assembly for the poor law and order and economy, as the PML-N called for his arrest and trial for high treason.
Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza expunged a very aggressive remark directed against President Musharraf by former Balochistan chief minister and PPP legislator Taj Muhammad Jamali. He had talked about bullet and shooting.
Almost all the lawmakers, who took part in the debate, referred to the startling revelations made by Lt-Gen (retd) Jamshed Gulzar Kiyani during his interview with Geo Television aired on June 2.
The speakers from the treasury squarely held the president responsible for the law and order situation, uncontrollable price hike of key kitchen items, flour crisis, load-shedding and the US and allied forces’ attacks on Bajaur and other places.
** Slogans of ‘Go Musharraf go!’ also echoed in the assembly after Jamali set the tone in his speech during the debate on the adjournment motions to discuss bombardment and missile attack in Bajaur Agency, which killed many people.**
Apparently to defuse the anti-Musharraf tempo, the speaker abruptly took up a call attention notice, leaving aside the debate. Later, it was announced that it would now be wound up on Wednesday.
From the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q), Amir Muqam and Marvi Memon, who is daughter of Senator Nisar A Memon, tried to defend the president and dismissed the criticism unleashed by the government benches as baseless.
Muqam charged that the government was suffering from Musharraf phobia, whereas Marvi Memon believed that the House had become Musharraf-centric and even the PPP constitutional package was personalised.
** “I make this demand on the floor of this house that Musharraf should not be allowed to flee the country for his heinous crimes against the nation, particularly the people of Balochistan and the tribal belt,” Jamali said.**
** He pointed out to the government that as long as Musharraf was around, the country would continue to suffer. PML-N MNA Tehmina Daultana challenged Musharraf to come to parliament and in the same breath remarked, “How can he do so, as he can’t come to the presidency from the Army House”.**
Musharraf, she contended, should not be allowed to go away and should be held answerable for his policies. The MNA recalled how with one stroke of pen the Supreme Court judges were sent packing.
Another PML-N MNA Sahibzada Fazl Karim proposed that all the conspiracies being hatched to weaken Pakistan would be defeated if Musharraf was held accountable for his misdeeds.
Speakers from Fata, including Munir Orakzai, Kamran Khan, Shaukatullah, Zafar Baig Bhitani, complained that parliamentarians from the tribal belt were never consulted or taken into confidence regarding the policy towards Fata.
They proposed formation of a committee to compensate victims of the recent Bajaur attack and a review of the policy in consultations with the tribal people.Orakzai called upon the Army to retaliate to any future incursion or the people of Fata should be given weapons to defend the areas they had been protecting for decades.
Shaukatullah wondered why the Pakistani forces had not reacted to the allied forces’ aggression, which was taking place frequently inside Pakistan.Kamran Khan asked the government to take notice of worsening state of affairs in the Kurrum Agency, where life has yet to return to normalcy, with people staying away from homes, all the major roads closed and shortage of commodities.
He noted that the people of Peace Jirga were now in Haripur jail. “These problems should be addressed on a priority basis, as many people have started to go to Afghanistan.”
The PML-N called for the formation of a commission to investigate the Kargil debacle and punish those responsible for it. However, the opposition parties, particularly the pro-Musharraf PML-Q, opposed it.
Surprisingly, no minister reacted to this demand made by several PML-N lawmakers, who said their party leader Nawaz Sharif’s stand that he was not on board vis-‡-vis the Kargil operation was vindicated by Lt-Gen (retd) Jamshed Gulzar Kiyani.
“It is such a huge tragedy and if not probed, such disasters could occur again,” warned Ayaz Sadiq and proposed a panel of retired judges to probe the debacle. Another senior PML-N lawmaker Sheikh Aftab, citing Gen Jamshed Kiyani’s interview, said though politicians were blamed, but actually dictators were responsible for the fall of Dhaka.
He pointed out that the retired military officer had also made a categorical statement that the Kargil operation had nothing to do with Mian Nawaz Sharif. The legislator called for holding an investigation into 1971 war and the Kargil disaster, saying it was the need of the hour that parliamentarians should play their role in this connection.
On this, Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza said the matter should be first debated in the house standing committee on defence and then it could be brought to the house. PML-N Information Secretary Ahsan Iqbal, taking the floor, noted that the facts presented before the nation by Gen Kiyani had proved that Musharraf had lied about the Kargil episode and what Nawaz Sharif said thereon was correct.
He claimed that the results of February 18 elections had shown that the nation wanted to get rid of Musharraf, saying the person who played havoc with the state institutions and violated the Constitution twice should be subjected to trial. The nation, he continued, wanted to hold President Musharraf accountable for his policies and actions.
