Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Nisar Ali Khan on Thursday opposed the proposed in-camera briefing to members of the joint session of parliament, saying it should not be an “eyewash” exercise and concrete facts should be brought before the joint sitting, as the nation wanted serious business and his party wanted answers to the people’s queries.
“It is high time the government takes the nation into confidence over the Abbottabad incident. Let the nation know what happened on that day. Let the people at large know what was the truth and in my party’s view, the briefing to the joint session of parliament should be open to media or duly publicised to satisfy the public’s concerns on the Abbottabad operation,” the PML-N leader said while speaking on a point of order.
He said the people were concerned about the Abbottabad operation and eager to have their queries answered. He said most part of the briefing should remain open, while some exclusive parts could remain in-camera. “Around 20 senior journalists should also be invited to the briefing, as it would help them understand the situation. If the GHQ, ISI and other intelligence departments have already briefed the media on the incident, there should be no objection to senior journalists’ presence in the sitting,” he added.
Nisar said the meeting of the business advisory committee should be convened well before the session so that its agenda could be finalised in consensus and a message could be conveyed to those coming to brief the joint sitting that they should be well prepared.
Religious Affairs Minister Syed Khurshid Shah accepted the proposal by Nisar, saying the meeting of the business advisory committee would be convened at 11am.
Earlier, FATA MNA Kamran Khan said on a point of order that the people were concerned about Osama’ killing and the US operation in Pakistan, adding that the government should take serious notice of the incident. He said a clear message from the government should be conveyed to the US government that any such attack would be responded to in the future. Bushra Gohar of the ANP drew the House’s attention to the May 12 killings in Karachi and called for the constitution of a parliamentary commission for a thorough probe into the incident.
Meanwhile, Minister for Water and Power Syed Naveed Qamar informed the National Assembly that the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) had floated tenders for conducting a detailed feasibility study and engineering of Munda Dam, which would be opened on June 15.