Nawaz for CJs-led probe into Osama debacle

ISLAMABAD Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Wednesday rejected the governments commission for the inquiry of the US forces operation to kill Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad on May 2 and demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident. PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif called for formation of a judicial commission, with full powers, to probe the agencies failure to detect the intrusion of the US helicopters which conducted a 40-minute operation. He said chief justice of the Supreme Court should head the judicial commission and chief justices of the four provincial high courts and Islamabad High Court should be members of the commission. Nawaz said the judicial commission should have the powers to summon anyone who they consider must be questioned about their failure in the whole episode. He gave a three-day time to the government to respond to his demand, saying that he would chalk out future plan after three days. He also proposed that the judicial commission must be given 21-day time to complete investigation into the US operation, which he termed 'attack on the countrys sovereignty and independence. The former prime minister said that findings of the judicial commission should be made public so that the nation knows blunders of those responsible. He said the government agencies, which are supposed to be vigilant, failed to get information about the movement of the US military helicopters. The opposition leader stressed that the intelligence agencies should not indulge themselves in politics and must play their role to keep an eye on the security of the country and protection of the people. Nawaz said the world is surprised as to how the intelligence agencies were unaware of the presence of Al-Qaeda chief in Abbottabad, saying that the world is raising fingers at Pakistan after the incident. The armed forces have not given satisfactory answers and the Osama raid has affected the morale of armed forces, Nawaz said after presiding over a two-day meeting of the partys top leaders in Islamabad. 'No one would be allowed to use Pakistani soil for terrorism and extremism as there is no place for terrorism in the country, Nawaz said. Dismissing Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilanis announcement of a probe by the armys Adjutant General as inadequate, Nawaz said the proposed judicial commission should also probe whether there was any tacit agreement permitting operations by US forces in Pakistani territory. The former premier said the commission should determine the nature and causes of failures of the civil and military authorities in all matters related to Ladens presence in the country and the US raid that killed him. The commission should fix responsibility for and propose actions against persons responsible for the said failures compromising the dignity, self-respect and sovereignty of Pakistan, he said. Nawaz Sharif said he had written to Gilani seeking the formation of the judicial commission. Such a probe by an independent and unbiased panel is necessary in view of the extremely serious crisis facing Pakistan and intense sense of insecurity and despondency among people as a result of the US operation, he said. Nawaz said Pakistanis should stand up as honourable people and stop begging for foreign aid as this was destroying the country. This is my strong belief that if this country had been on a democratic track there would not have been any gun running here, nor would there be terrorism, extremism and poverty, he said. Nawaz called for introspection in the wake of the US raid, saying that if the judicial commission is not formed, it would show that the government is not aware of the seriousness of the matter and the feelings of people. He noted that the current situation was more serious than the one prevailing during the 1971 war with India as Pakistan was 'totally isolated. He said, Except for China, no one is backing us. The world was accusing Pakistan of giving refuge to and exporting terrorists and almost all terrorist incidents were traced back to the country, he said. If we want answers to questions, we should stop fooling ourselves and whitewashing things, he added. It appears that we are defenceless, he added.

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