ISLAMABAD: The opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is still hoping the government will constitute an independent commission on Abbottabad operation in line with the unanimous resolution adopted by the joint sitting of parliament on May 14.
When asked about the party`s strategy in case the government failed to fulfil the commitment of forming the commission, a number of PML-N legislators and office-bearers said the party would launch a public protest.“We will have no option but to go to the people, if the government does not form the commission,” said PML-N`s Senator Raja Zafarul Haq.
Senator Haq, however, said that unlike in the past it would be difficult for the government to run away from its commitment, which it had made not only with the opposition but with the parliament and the whole nation.
Through the resolution passed during the in-camera joint session of the parliament after a detailed briefing by the top military officials on the May 2 US covert operation and a lengthy consultation between the PPP and the PML-N, the parliament “called upon the government to appoint an independent commission on the Abbottabad operation, fix responsibility and recommend necessary measures to ensure that such an incident does not occur (again)”.
Modalities for the formation of the commission, according to the resolution, were to be settled after consultation between Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.
A source in the PML-N told Dawn that Chaudhry Nisar had already sent a letter to the prime minister suggesting names of the persons from among the retired judges, journalists, politicians and civil society activists who could be appointed as members of the independent commission. During a news conference last week, Chaudhry Nisar had even disclosed some of the names including that of Justice (retd) Shafiur Rehman, Justice (retd) Nasir Aslam Zahid, Justice (retd) Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim, chief of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party Mehmood Khan Achakzai, Asma Jehangir and Majeed Nizami.
The opposition leader had sent the letter at a time when the prime minister was on a four-day official visit to China. The party has so far not received any reply from the government even though the prime minister returned to the country on Friday night.
Mr Haq told Dawn that his party had been waiting for a response from the prime minister and expressed the hope that the Pakistan People`s Party (PPP)-led ruling coalition would soon take practical steps towards constitution of the commission on this very important matter. Another PML-N leader, Khwaja Saad Rafique, said the party could not wait for an indefinite period and would certainly take measures to put pressure on the government to fulfil its commitment. “Obviously, we will not wait for long and definitely put pressure on the government to form the commission,” Mr Rafique said.
He said that keeping in view its experiences, the party would have no choice but to lodge a strong protest inside and outside parliament and to go for mass mobilisation against the ruling party in case it did not fulfil its promise.
When contacted, a senior PPP leader presently holding a government office said the PPP-led coalition would have to form the commission as it had been given this responsibility by the parliament. Moreover, he said, the party leadership believed that if the commission was not constituted, it would cause irreparable damage to the party`s image and could provide an opportunity to the other forces to politically exploit the issue.
He, however, said there could be a little delay in the formation of the commission as the government would want to finalise the terms of reference and mandate and scope of the commission as well before its formal announcement.
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