11 simple question for the ISPR. Will it reply?
Surgeon General Lt-Gen. Mushtaq Baig
The Punjab government has submitted a 52 page report questioning the role of the army and intelligence agencies in the course of two specific terrorism cases on army personnel – the suicide attack on the Surgeon General of the Pakistan army and the attack on an army bus
The report was accompanied by 11 straightforward questions that were sent to ISPR which the ISPR is yet to reply to. We are republishing these 11 questions because they form the basis of a number of concerns about the worrying role of the military and the agencies in terrorism prosecution:
1. A Punjab government inquiry report blames the Complainant Department (Army) for lack of interest and non-assistance in the trial of the accused arrested in connection with attacks on Gen. Mushtaq Baig and NLC bus near RA Bazaar. Do you agree?
2. None from the Army offered to become witness in the cases. Is it true?
3. There was no senior level representation during the hearing of the cases by Anti-Terrorist Court. Is it true?
4. The accused remained under probe with the intelligence agencies but no information was shared with the local police. Is it true?
5. Is it true that the Army even didn’t register the FIRs in both cases and the police had to do it on its own?
6. Is it true that no technical evidence was shared with the police? If yes, then why sophisticated gadgets have been provided to the intelligence agencies if they can’t be of use for other departments?
7. The investigation was conducted by persons who were neither vested with the power nor were the members of Joint Interrogation Team (JIT). Is it true?
8. Is it true that the accused were handed over to police after one year and FIR registered from backdate?
9. The inquiry report proposed action against those held responsible (the officials who overstepped their duty and those who under-performed). Has any action been taken against them?
10. Could you please explain if the agencies/Army has any legal power to detain and arrest any person?
11. May I know what rules govern the working of intelligence agencies, other than their SOPs that don’t have any legal importance?
After the release of this report by the Punjab government the military’s only response seems to have been to leak news of its displeasure at the Punjab government through its trusty media channels (in this case Dawn’s diplomatic correspondent Baqir Sajjad Syed). As observed by LUBP reader Shahid:
Super PR exercise by the military. Once again showing the might of their PR power and the power of collaborating with the media to get their word out.
The Secretary Prosecution report had clear and precise statements. It was 52 bloody pages long and raised precise points about each individual attack and the lack of cooperation, lack of witnesses from army and not filing even FIRs from their side.
This is a hollow report and merely a reply to the “negative portrayal” the army got yesterday. Shame on Dawn.
Will the military respond to the 11 specific questions raised by the Punjab government? Or will it continue to simply play media games through its establishment-friendly journalists?
excellent rabia . blaming only punjab government and in particular rana sanaullah is not a solution . apart of amina buttar no one from ppp ranks has raised terrorism issue in punjab assembly . i can’t understand why local ppp leadership in punjab demanding resignation from rana sanuallah .
Its worrying indeed. I think we should critically assess the attitude of PPP Punjab leaders as well as the Governor, who very insensitively start blame game hence play tit for tat tactics, which do not in anyway serve to the main purpose. Even deviate the real failure on part of the intelligence agencies, as everyone who has a bit of awareness on counter insurgency or counter terrorism approaches knows where the real responsibility lies… Am trying to collect some data regarding the political statements as Punjab Govt. was informed of the expected terror attacks, is it enough, to inform and then wait for the attack to happen,
The PPP Government it seems is more interested in defending BB’s killers. Shame, Shame!
بی بی قتل:اقوام متحدہ کی رپورٹ پر تحفظات
پاکستانی فوج، آئی ایس آئی اور سکیورٹی سے متعلق نظریات محض کمیشن کے ممبران کے خیالات ہیں اور یہ شواہد پر مبنی تبصرے نہیں: پاکستان
پاکستان نے سابق وزیرِ اعظم بینظیر بھٹو کے قتل کی تحقیقات کرنے والے اقوام متحدہ کے کمیشن کی رپورٹ پر تحفظات کا اظہار کیا ہے۔
نیویارک سے صحافی سلیم رضوی نے بی بی سی کو بتایا کہ پاکستان حکومت نے رپورٹ کے کچھ حصوں پر سخت اعتراضات اٹھائے ہیں، اور خاص طورپر پاکستانی فوج اور طالبان کے درمیان روابط کا اشارہ دینے والے حصوں کا ذکر کیا ہے۔
اقوام متحدہ کے کمیشن نے یہ رپورٹ اپریل میں پیش کی تھی۔ رپورٹ کے کئی حصوں پر تنقید کرتے ہوئے پاکستانی وزیر خارجہ شاہ محمود قریشی نے اقوام متحدہ کے سیکرٹری جنرل بان کی مون کو ایک خط لکھا جس میں کئی اعترضات کیے گئے ہیں۔
سلیم رضوی نے بتایا کہ خط میں پاکستانی وزیر خارجہ نے خاص طور پر ایسے تبصروں پر اعتراض کیا ہے جن سے طالبان اور پاکستانی فوج کے درمیان روابط ہونے کا اشارہ ملتا ہے۔
شاہ محمود قریشی نے خط میں لکھا ہے کہ تفتیشی ٹیم کو دیے گئے احکامات سے یہ ثابت ہو جاتا ہے کہ پاکستانی فوج کے بارے میں اس طرح کے نتائج پر پہنچنا کمیشن کے دائرہ کار سے باہر تھا۔
خط میں کہا گیا ہے کہ اس قسم کے تبصروں سے پاکستانی افواج کے دہشت گردی کہ خلاف جاری کارروائی پر اور افواج کے عزم پر بھی منفی اثر پڑتا ہے۔
کمیشن کی رپورٹ کو پیش کیے جانے کے تقریباً دو مہینے کے بعد جون میں پاکستانی حکومت کی جانب سے اقوام متحدہ کو یہ خط لکھا گیا تھا جسے اب منظر عام پر لایا گیا ہے۔ سلیم رضوی نے بتایا کہ خط میں تفتیشی ٹیم کی تعریف تو کی گئی ہے لیکن تنقید اور اعتراضات بھی ہیں۔
خط میں لکھا گیا ہے کہ پاکستان کی فوج، خفیہ ایجنسی آئی ایس آئی اور سکیورٹی سے متعلق نظریات محض کمیشن کے ممبران کے خیالات ہیں اور یہ شواہد پر مبنی تبصرے نہیں ہیں۔
بان کی مون کے نام پاکستانی وزیر خارجہ کے خط میں یہ بھی کہا گیا ہے کہ بینظیر بھٹو قتل کیس کے بین الاقوامی پہلوؤں پر بھی کم دھیان دیا گیا ہے۔ پاکستانی حکومت نے کمیشن سے درخواست کی تھی کہ امریکہ کے سابق وزیر خارجہ کونڈولیزا رائس اور کچھ سعودی اہلکاروں سے بھی تفتیش کی جانی چاہیے۔
اقوام متحدہ کے کمیشن نے اپنی رپورٹ میں کہا تھا کہ اگر بینظیر بھٹو کی سکیورٹی کے صحیح انتظامات کیے جاتے تو ان کے قتل کو روکا جا سکتا تھا۔ رپورٹ میں اس وقت کے صدر پرویز مشرف کی حکومت پر سخت تنقید کی گئی تھی اور قتل کی تفتیش ’صحیح طرح نہ کرنے‘ پر سرکاری اہلکاروں کو تنقید کا نشانہ بنایا گیا تھا۔
http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/2010/07/100708_pakistan_bb.shtml
I agree ali. We should definitely write a critical article on salmaan taseer
Jang Group’s Paid Toady Haroon Rasheed’s Friend Gulbadin Hikatyar (Jamat-e-Islami of Afghanistan who is also known as Buthcer of Kabul because he had butchered More “Muslim Afghans” then the “Infidel Russians”) is an agent of USA AND NATO: Hekmatyar’s men supplying Taliban intelligence to Nato: officials
Friday, 09 Jul, 2010 http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/hekmatyars-men-supplying-taliban-intelligence-to-nato-officials-970
KABUL, July 8: A militant Afghan group is supplying intelligence on the Taliban to government and foreign troops leading to the capture or death of several commanders in the north, senior officials have said.
In what could signal a split within the militants, Hezb-i-Islami fighters have been tipping off US and Afghan forces over the past few months, revealing locations of key Taliban figures in Baghlan and Kunduz provinces, said General Murad Ali Murad, commander of Afghan troops in the north.
“We get intelligence on the Taliban’s whereabouts and movements, especially their commanders, from members of Hezb-i-Islami,” Gen Murad told Reuters in a telephone interview.
“The flow of intelligence is working very well. It really helps us eliminate those who pose a serious security threat,” said Gen Murad, who commands the 209th Army Corps in northern Afghanistan.
A senior Afghan provincial official in the north confirmed the claim. “Intelligence comes from the armed forces of Hezb-i-Islami. We buy information from the fighters,” said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity.Hezb-i-Islami, led by the veteran anti-Soviet guerilla commander Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, is one of three major militant groups fighting the Karzai government and foreign forces in Afghanistan, mainly in the east and pockets of the north.
The other two, both seen by Nato as bigger threats, are the Taliban, with strongholds in the south, and the Haqqani network, based mainly in the southeast.
While Hezb-i-Islami shares some of the aims of the Taliban, it has largely led a separate movement. Earlier this year, Taliban fighters pushed into Hezb-i-Islami strongholds in the north, leading to clashes between the two groups.
Hezb-i-Islami later played down the clashes, but Gen Murad said Hekmatyar’s men, who came off worse in the fighting, now sought revenge and were passing on information about their Taliban rivals.
The increased localised squabbling could signal divisions among the militants’ ranks after Hezb-i-Islami distanced itself from the Taliban earlier this year when it sent a delegation to Kabul to meet President Hamid Karzai.
The talks ended without breakthrough. Gen Murad said intelligence from Hezb-i-Islami’s ranks was also due to better coordination between Afghan and foreign forces.
The senior Afghan provincial official said this was due to the arrival of US forces into the area. “It has been working very well since the Americans arrived. The flow of intelligence was very weak with the Germans but now it is flowing very well,” the official said.
The comments by Afghan officials about Hezb-i-Islami come after a series of Nato reports saying its forces had either killed or captured several Taliban commanders in the north.
On May 14, Mullah Ruhullah, the Taliban shadow governor for Baghlan, and his deputy were killed by Afghan and foreign forces. Mawlawi Jabbar, his replacement, was killed with two Taliban commanders in a US air strike only two weeks later.
Three days after Mawlawi Jabbar was killed, his successor was captured by Afghan and US forces as he prepared to leave for Pakistan, Nato said. Then on June 21, the recently appointed Taliban chief of finance for Baghlan was captured while visiting southern Helmand.—Reuters