COAS stopped DG ISI from resigning

ISLAMABAD: Director General ISI, Lt General Ahmed Shuja Pasha Friday admitting failure in the Osama killing episode in Abbottabad, sought apology from the nation and added that he would resign if the parliament so demands, Geo News reported.

“The failure was not intentional but I admit that it was a mistake,” the ISI Chief said during the in-camera joint sitting of the parliament that was briefed by security and intelligence officials in the backdrop of the US unilateral assault in Abbottabad on May 2, 2011 that eliminated Osama bin Laden.

He said he considered himself answerable before the parliament and people. “Parliament is supreme and I am feeling relieved after presenting myself before it,” Lt Gen Pasha added.

The ISI Chief said he had made up his mind to resign after consulting his family but he was stopped from doing so by the Army Chief.

He told the parliamentarians that intelligence was shared with the US in connection with Osama bin Laden in 2004. But the US undertook operation in Abbottabad without informing Pakistan and it shook our confidence, he added.

“Now we are facing pressure from all sides …. our media is also criticizing,” he said.

Lt Gen Shuja Pasha said that investigation from Osama’s wife had been carried out, which revealed that bin Laden had been present in the Abbottabad compound for the past 5 years but he (Osama) did not come out from there for even once during this time.

At this point parliamentarians of Pakistan Muslim League-N, expressing concern, said lack of advanced technology could raise a number of questions on Pakistan’s defence capabilities.

Deputy Chief of Air Staff Operations Air Marshal, Muhammad Hassan said due to the US helicopters were equipped with highly sophisticated technology and they could not be detected (by our radars). The US used stealth technology which is exclusively possessed by the US, he added and also said that Pakistan had started observing this technology.

Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman in reply to a question as to when the drone strikes will end, said that drones entering Pakistani air space would be struck down if such orders were issued.

It has been learnt that Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani had left the in-camera session at the conclusion of the briefing and did not attend the question/answer session.

To a question regarding the operational control of Shamsi Air Base, the Air Chief said UAE had the control of the Air Base.

According to sources, the opposition members on the occasion slammed the political role played by the (intelligence) agencies and non implementation of parliamentary resolutions on national security.

Opposition Leader Chaudhry Nisar said: “Since ISI has accepted the failure, now the responsibility should be fixed.” He demanded that there has to be some kind of reparation for everything that went wrong.

Sources said that the parliamentarians asked how could the desired objectives be achieved in the war against terrorism when its resolutions are not acted upon?

Pakistan’s relations with the US should be on equal footing, they said, adding what good is the aid in case the country is lost.

The sources further said that a new strategy on Pak-US relations is expected to be devised following the sharing of views by the parliamentarians.