As the country continues to face terrorism unabated, the latest one being the attack on PNS Mehran base, the inordinate delay on the part of the government to implement a parliamentary decision on formation of an independent commission to probe the Abbottabad incident has deeply perturbed political parties.
Ten days ago, a unanimous resolution passed by a joint session of parliament had called upon the government to appoint an independent commission on the Abbottabad operation which should fix responsibility and recommend necessary measures to ensure that such an incident did not recur. PML-N veteran leader Senator Raja Zafarul Haq told Pakistan Today on Tuesday that Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani was showing indifference towards the unanimous resolution of the joint sitting which was reflective of the fact that the government had no concern with parliament.
“The parliament represents the entire nation. The apathy of the government reflects that the people at the helm, who make tall claims about parliament’s sovereignty don’t care for the people’s will. Despite the fact that the prime minister had made a commitment on the occasion of the passage of the resolution, no step has yet been taken,” he added. He said PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif raised the issue of formation of the independent commission everyday but the government repeatedly lent it a deaf ear.
JUI-F leader Attaur Rehman said the government’s inaction suggested that the recent parliamentary resolution would meet a fate similar to that of previous resolutions. JI’s Khurshid Ahmed said he had sent a message to the premier, telling him that even a single day’s delay in the formation of the commission could harm the national cause. “But no answer has been received from the PM’s House yet,” he added.
“During the past 64 years, I have never seen such a callous, incompetent and insensitive government. I can’t comprehend why the government is sleeping over the unanimous resolution of the joint session of parliament when all political parties had supported it,” he asserted. Senator Salim Saifullah, the leader of PML-Q likeminded group, said he did not see that any commission would be formed in the near future.
Saifullah said the government’s inaction suggested that the exercise of holding a joint sitting of parliament was a “useless exercise”. “They talk a lot about parliament’s sovereignty but I am sure they have no respect for parliament,” he added. When contacted, Press Secretary to the Prime Minister Shabbir Anwar told Pakistan Today that the consultation process was on with the political parties and any decision on the commission would be taken once the consultation process was completed.
