Senators demand commission to probe OBLs killing

ISLAMABAD - The lawmakers in the Senate on Monday called for constitution of a judicial commission on the patterns of Hamood-ur-Rehman Commission to investigate the incident of killing of Osama bin Laden by US forces. The house initiated the debate on the incident after an interval of three days before the senators belonging to treasury as well as opposition benches except ruling PPP staged a token walkout of the Senate over the attitude of Prime Minister. Prior to the walkout, Senators Maulana Ghafoor Haidri and Zahid Khan said that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was ignoring this house as it was making a policy statement of killing of Osama in the Lower House but did not bother to come to the Senate. They flayed this attitude of Prim Minister towards the Upper House of the Parliament. Earlier, the legislators while taking part in the debate demanded of the government to establish a judicial commission on the patterns of Hamood-ur-Rehman Commission that was established in mid seventies to probe the tragedy of fall of Dhaka that divided Pakistan into two parts. They demanding of the constitution of commission said that it should probe the whole incident to fix responsibility and exposed the real hands and present the facts before the nation to pull it out this current situation of embarrassment. They also suggested that a timeframe should be given to the commission, it finding report should be made public and some heads must be rolled in the light of its findings. PML-N senators also sought resignations from the President being the commander-in-chief of armed forces and ISI chief as well. The legislators feared that US could also hold strikes on the Presidency and Prime Minister house on the same pattern its marines conducted an operation in Abbottabad. They said that the Parliament should expose the hands behind this incident because of those it had to face embarrassment before the international community. The senators also demanded of the government to bring to book the countrys intelligence agencies if those were involved in it at any level. Hafiz Rasheed Ahmed said that the government should admit its failure adding that the incident raised many questions irrespective of the fact that it was genuine or fake. He demanded for the constitution of the judicial commission to probe the matter doubting that the incident was a staged drama of US. He said that the US had breached the countrys security alleging that it could do such strikes on the President as Prime Minister Houses as well. However, Zahid Khan of ANP was of the view that it was wrong to say that the incident was fake while endorsing Hafiz Rasheed Ahmeds demand for the formation the judicial commission. He said that the commission should trace the people who provided logistic support to Osama bin Laden that helped him take shelter in Abbottabad. He also said that it should be investigated that who were providing financial support to the Jehadi elements. We cannot continue this war on terrorism with the dual policy and no one is ready to tell that what was the purpose of Jehadi policy and is, war on terrorism policy as well, he added. PML-N legislators took a hard stance against the government and armed forces holding them responsible for the incident. Mushahid Ullah Khan of PML-N opined that a larger bench should investigate the matter as it has been constituted to hear Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (ZAB) case. Not only the matter should be investigated but resignations should be sought from the responsible ones, he said. He viewed that it would be difficult for the government to exist further if it showed carelessness in the matter. Zafar Ali Shah of the same party said that the armed forces, the nations only ray of hope for the country to protect the country, had failed. He on behalf of his party demanded resignations of the President Asif Ali Zardari, ISI chief Lt. General Ahmed Shuja Pasha and Pakistani Ambassador in US Hussain Haqqani. Abdul Khaliq Pirzada of MQM suggested that all the key government institutions including army, judiciary, politicians should sit together, and present a report before the nation that could save it from the embarrassment.

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