Govt has lost its right to rule: Nisar

Muhammad Anis
ISLAMABAD: Regretting the government’s silence on the ‘international propaganda’ following the US operation in Abbottabad which resulted in the killing of Osama bin Laden, the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, has said the government had compromised the country’s sovereignty and hence lost the right to remain in power.

“The rulers have no right to remain in power any more as they have failed to defend the country or to provide a credible and daring response to the propaganda challenging Pakistan’s sovereignty,” Ch Nisar told the media here at the Parliament House.

However, he added that he and his party were for a democratic change of government and he would address, on the floor of the National Assembly on Monday, the issue of using democratic means to get rid of the present government.

Responding to a question, the opposition leader said he had expressed reservations about the role of intelligence agencies but had not criticised the armed forces or Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. He said in this regard, his statements were misreported by newspapers. “I am not so irresponsible as to make such statements when the country is engulfed in so many problems already,” Chaudhry Nisar said, adding that he had great respect for General Kayani.

The opposition leader strongly condemned the statements of Prime Minister Gilani and Information Minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, on the US operation and said the two leaders had no credibility. “Whether there was a background deal with the US government or genuine ignorance about Osama’s presence in Pakistan, the facts should be put before the nation,” he said, adding that there should be an in-camera session on the issue, so the government’s stance could be put on record and in front of parliament.

Referring to statements by the US government and CIA chief that Pakistan was either complicit or incompetent, Chaudhry Nisar asked why the government had ‘become deaf and dumb’ and was “not responding to such propaganda. President Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani were not given these powers by the people for this day.”

He wondered if the Pakistani state was subordinate to the United States. “Are we going to be the 52nd state of the United States? The Pakistan government, and not the US, should be issuing the charge sheet,” he said.

Ch Nisar also criticised Prime Minister Gilani for not canceling his visit to France. “We will not allow the rulers to run away from this issue,” he said. “Is the world’s 7th nuclear power so weak that it can’t keep four helicopters from breaching the country’s sovereignty. Naturally, citizens are feeling insecure after this incident.”

Calling the PPP-PML-Q union an ‘unholy alliance,’ the PML-N leader said Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi must be turning in their graves. “Neither party has apologised to the nation or expressed regret for making allegations on the other. So we need to get some kind of explanation about how and why they got into this deal.”

The opposition leader said the purpose of the alliance was that the PPP could complete its five-year tenure. “The unholy alliance was made to serve their own personl gains and had make a mockery of national interests,” he said. “Have they forgotten the allegations of assassination and corruption against each other? As for the MQM, it only believes in one kind of revolution i.e. sticking to power.”