ISLAMABAD - The government told the Senate on Friday that a decision has been taken to proceed against former Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan, who had surrendered to an intelligence agency last year, under the law.
While responding to a question posed by Pakistan People’s Party Senator Farhatullah Babar, State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry said that “the institution concerned has decided to proceed against former TTP spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan” — an apparent reference to the army. He assured the House that the former TTP spokesperson, who was involved in several terrorist attacks, would not be pardoned. He said that video statements of Ehsan had also been made public, which were sufficient to reflect that the institution concerned would take action against him under the law. “The videos would not have been released at all if he had to be given clemency,” he said.
However, the Ministry of Interior in its written reply, given on behalf of Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal, informed the House that it was not in the loop regarding the case pertaining to the former TTP spokesperson which raised concerns among the lawmakers whether he would be tried in a court of law or pardoned. Responding the question as to what were the details of terrorist incidents that were publicly claimed by Ehsan, the interior ministry said that the matter was referred to the civilian agencies working under its administrative control and they replied that “the issue was not dealt by them.” The Peshawar High Court (PHC) disposing of a petition, filed by the father of a martyred youth of Army Public School (APS) Peshawar, had directed “the authorities not to release Ehsan without court orders and investigate it properly.”
The interior ministry said that on receiving the case and recommendations of home departments of provinces, the case of Ehsan will be placed before a committee constituted in the Ministry of Interior. “If approved by the committee, the case will be tried in the military court.”
During the question-hour session, Senator Babar on a supplementary question asked as to why the interior ministry had no clue about Ehsan, the self-confessed murderer of 150 children of APS Peshawar, even though it was the focal ministry under the National Action Plan.
“It took more than nine months for the interior minister to finally admit that the civilians had no role in policy-making in fighting militants as it was dealt with by mysterious unnamed agencies,” he said and asked, “what does it prove”. He said that the interior minister’s statement was a clear admission that the notorious TTP chap was in military agencies’ custody while the interior minister was unaware of it. To this, Talal Chaudhry said: “Exactly these were questions that came to my mind during a briefing”.
A question Babar had asked in June last year was: “Whether cases have been registered against Ehsan subsequent to his admission and what the details are? And whether cases registered against Ehsan will be tried in a military court?”
Babar said that his term as a senator would soon expire and asked the presiding officer Tahir Hussain Mashhadi to give a ruling that the issue should be pursued even when he would be no longer in the Senate. Senator Mashhadi said that he would bring the matter to the attention of Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani for a ruling.
Other lawmakers also criticized the government for not pressing the case when the PHC was hearing the petition for a speedy trial of Ehsan.
Jamaat-e-Islami Senator Sirajul Haq asked whether there were more TTP captives in the custody of agencies besides Ehsan and what was being done about them. He asked whether all were asked to make confessions and then go scot-free.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Senator Nauman Wazir Khattak condemned the government for not pursuing the case in the PHC and there were reports that the terrorist may be given a clemency. On this, Senator Mashhadi asked the state minister to approach the Ministry of Defence in this connection and inform the House next week.
Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party Senator Usman Kakar questioned where Ehsan had been kept as he was neither in a jail nor at any police station. He asked in which rest house the former TTP spokesperson had been kept.
Senator Mashhadi remarked that the delay in the trial of Ehsan was causing concerns among the people.