Pakistan opposition rejects Osama inquiry committee

2011-05-11 22:34:02

ISLAMABAD, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's main opposition party Wednesday rejected the government's commission for the inquiry of the U.S. forces operation to kill Osama bin Laden in the city of Abbottabad on May 2.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in his address to the National Assembly on Monday announced a committee under a top army general to investigate the failure of the intelligence agencies to know about the hideout of the al-Qaida chief.

However, Nawaz Sharif, leader of the Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) party and former prime minister, called for formation of a judicial commission, with full powers, to probe the agencies failure to detect the intrusion of the U.S. helicopters which conducted a 40-minute operation and killed bin Laden.

He said chief justice of the Supreme Court should head the judicial commission and chief justices of the four provincial high courts and Islamabad High Court should be members of the commission.

The opposition leader said that the Judicial Commission should have the powers to summon anyone who they consider must be questioned about their failure in the whole episode.

Sharif gave a three-day time to the government to respond to his demand, saying that he would chalk out future plan after three days. He also proposed that the judicial commission must be given 21-day time to complete investigation into the U.S. operation, which he termed as "attack on the country's sovereignty and independence."

The former prime minister said that findings of the judicial commission should be made public so that the nation knows blunders of those responsible.

He said the government agencies, which are supposed to be vigilant, failed to get information about the movement of the U.S. military helicopters.

The opposition leader stressed that the intelligence agencies should not indulge themselves in politics and must play their role to keep an eye on the security of the country and protection of the people.

Sharif said the world is surprised as to how the intelligence agencies were unaware of the presence of al-Qaida chief in Abbottabad, saying that the world is raising fingers at Pakistan after the incident.

"The armed forces have not given satisfactory answers and the Osama raid has affected the morale of armed forces," Sharif said after presiding over a two-day meeting of the party's top leaders in Islamabad.

"No one would be allowed to use Pakistani soil for terrorism and extremism as there is no place for terrorism in the country," said the former prime minister.

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