Commission crumbles a day after formation

With all political parties, particularly the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), expressing serious reservations over the formation of the five-member commission to probe the Abbottabad incident, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has decided to consult Opposition Leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali through federal minister Syed Khurshid Shah to seek a replacement for Justice (r) Fakhruddin G Ebrahim, who turned down a spot in the commission.
Gilani had formed the commission on Tuesday to investigate the US operation in Abbottabad and had also announced its Terms of Reference (ToRs) without discussing its composition and modalities with the leader of the opposition, despite the fact that it was mandatory for him to consult Nisar according to the joint resolution of parliament that suggested the commission in the first place.
“The composition/modalities of the commission will be settled after consultations between the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition,” the unanimous resolution had clearly stated. However, the PM not only ignored the leader of the opposition but also did not consult any of his coalition partners except the PML-Quaid.
Though the PML-N claimed that it was not consulted, Law Minister Maula Buksh Chandio said on Wednesday the commission had been formed in consultation with the opposition and the commission’s findings would be made public. Nisar, however, insisted that he had not been consulted by the prime minister. Nisar said he had also proposed that the ToRs of the commission must include an investigation to ascertain how Osama bin Laden had managed to settle in Abbottabad and that it should also look into what had been agreed to between Pakistan and the United States, along with ensuring that the probe should be completed within 30 days.
Meanwhile, Justice Javed Iqbal told reporters that he was ready to serve as head of the probe commission, but that he would accept the responsibility only if approved by the chief justice of Pakistan.
Justice (r) Ebrahim, however, refused to act as a member of a commission formed without consulting the opposition. Justice (r) Ebrahim also wrote a letter to the PM expressing his inability to be part of the commission as he had some reservations with its composition. Justice Iqbal, on the other hand, said the formation of the commission was in accordance with the constitution and he considered it a national obligation. However, he said that he had not received any notification from the government to this effect.
The commission suffered another blow when, according to media reports, Lt General (r) Nadeem Ahmed, another member of the commission, was hospitalised because of heart problems. Former police inspector general Abbas Khan, however, told Pakistan Today that the government had consulted him prior to his nomination to the commission. He said it was an honour for him to serve for a national cause and since the commission had been notified, its first meeting would be convened in the next few days.
Most political parties rejected the government’s claim that it had consulted their leaderships on the commission’s formation. Muttahida Qaumi Movement Spokesman Wasay Jalil said his party was not consulted on the commission’s formation and the government had only informed Dr Farooq Sattar, the party’s parliamentary leader in the National Assembly. Awami National Party Senior Vice President Haji Mohammed Adeel said he was unaware of any consultation with his party’s leadership. “No consultation has been done to my knowledge, despite the fact that I had been in the federal capital for the past three days. I was only informed by the interior minister at a meeting that the commission had been formed. However, let us hope for the better as all names included are professional and upright people,” he added.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl leader Attaur Rehman said his party was neither consulted nor informed by the government. He said the government had violated the unanimous resolution of parliament by not consulting the leader of the opposition, which was highly objectionable. Pakistan People’s Party-Sherpao chief Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao said his party was not consulted either, but it was not mandatory for the government to consult all opposition parties. However, he slammed the government for ignoring the opposition leader, as he was the one who should have been consulted. “Including one nominee from the opposition’s nominees is not consultation. Furthermore, the refusal by Fakhruddin G Ebrahim to act as a member of the commission and the hospitalisation of Lt Gen (r) Nadeem has also put questions on the commission, which is being headed Justice Javed Iqbal, who is very respected jurist,” he added.
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leader Khurshid Ahmed also said his party was not consulted. He said the government had once again proven itself to be incompetent as it had violated parliament’s resolution, which had made it binding for the government to consult the opposition leader. The way the commission was formed was actually a humiliation to parliament, he added. The government only consulted the leadership of the PML-Q, as its Information Secretary Kamil Ali Agha confirmed to Pakistan Today. “Yes, we were consulted by the government. The people nominated in the commission are people of integrity and they are well-respected,” he added.