Military courts: Nawaz's statement misinterpreted, Nisar tells National Assembly

After Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani's backtracking from his statement a few days back, now it was Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, opposition leader in National Assembly, who ate the words of his party chief Wednesday without slightest embarrassment regarding setting up military courts in Karachi.
A few days ago PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif had said: "We'd set up military courts to restore peace in Karachi...if ever I found opportunity again, I would not hesitate in doing the same [establishing military courts] for the sake of restoring peace in the port city".
The intention of Nawaz Sharif to set up military courts in Karachi instead of finding a political solution to peace in Karachi was severely criticised by political parties including Prime Minister Gilani. The huge criticism on Nawaz Sharif for making such statement could not be digested by his firebrand opposition leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, who came down hard on the government, saying his leader's statement was misinterpreted.
"Basically we had set up military courts in Karachi under a civilian set up, which were later packed up when the then Supreme Court declared it illegal. Mian sahib never said during his whole speech that he will set up military courts in Karachi," he added.
Nisar said the prime minister got an opportunity to deliver an emotional speech by forgetting his December 22 statement in which he targeted the military and issuance visa to Osama bin laden, which could be used as a charge-sheet against Pakistan in an international court.
The prime minister should think before making any statement, he said, adding that if it was the defence secretary, to whom the prime minister later diverted all his emotional speech. The secretary is still there if he was that guilty why he is not being removed, he questioned.
Responding to Nisar speech, Syed Khurshid Ahmad Shah, chief whip in National Assembly said that PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif should seek apology from the nation over his statement on setting up military courts in Karachi. "If you are that much against setting up military courts then what do you mean by 'if ever I found opportunity again, I would not hesitate in doing the same'? At least I was not expecting such words from Nawaz Sharif in a democratic regime," Shah regretted.
He said this does not look nice with people who love democracy to talk of establishing military courts. He said leader of the Opposition should not explain their position in the House and Mian Nawaz Sharif should himself apologise from the nation. Shah said that government was not afraid of any accountability as the parliament has restored the 1973 Constitution, announced NFC award after 18 years and gave rights to the smaller provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan and Fata.
He said that National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) which is being repeatedly mentioned by the PML-N - what they would like to say about the deal between former military dictator General Pervez Musharraf and Nawaz Sharif after 1999 military cope. Khurshid Shah went on saying that the deal with a military dictator like Musharraf in 1999, under which Nawaz Sharif went on exile in Saudi Arabia, was more shameful than NRO. He also said that the PML-N leaders have forgotten their exile time and Attock forte's hardships and again repeating their past.
Criticising the Punjab government, he said, when PML-N took over in Punjab, there were Rs 17 billion in its account but now they are facing a deficit of Rs 120 billion. He said that an inquiry should also be held to ascertain why public money of the poor people were wasted. He said the Punjab government wasted Rs 30 billion in Tandoor and Rs 15 billion in other food projects.
Meanwhile, the MQM members who tried their level best during Tuesday session to initiate debate on creation of new provinces, could not utter even single word when Chaudhry Nisar lambasted them, saying: "The party which does not have even a single member both in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, can come up with such an idea". Nisar also regretted Prime Minister Gilani for favouring MQM demand to set up new provinces and said that Gilani appeared to be a Seraiki PM instead of being proud as prime minister of Pakistan.