While speaking in the National Assembly, Leader of the Opposition Syed Khurshid Shah urged the government Friday not to include army in the dialogue process with Taliban. "If the talks with the Taliban fail to yield any result, the burden of failure will be on [the shoulders of] the army," he said. Shah said the armed forces are subordinate to the defence ministry and the prime minister. "The role of the army is clearly defined in the constitution," he said.
The armed forces are duty-bound to obey what the prime minister would order, he said, adding that therefore, the government should not include the armed forces personnel in a dialogue process with the Taliban. Media reports have earlier suggested that the government is going to include members of ISI and Pakistan army in the negotiation committee to initiate a dialogue with the Taliban.
Talking about the Pakistan Peoples Party's philosophy, leader of the opposition said that his party believes in supremacy of the constitution and has been struggling for it. Shah also criticised the Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan for levelling "false" accusations against his party. "Why he [the interior minister] keeps asking questions about performance of our government," he said.
Leader of the opposition also questioned attitude of the interior minister, saying as to why he [the interior minister] remains reluctant to take his party into confidence over the issue of terrorism and militancy. "The government should create a conducive environment in the parliament to run the business smoothly and fairly," he said, adding that his party would continue supporting the government on the issue of terrorism, provided his party is taken into confidence.
Talking about martial laws in the country, he said that history is witness to the problems the country is faced with today. "Generals, dictators and martial laws have ruined the country," he said, adding the government should learn a lesson from the past. Shah said it is fruit of the democracy that the political parties succeeded in reaching the august house.
Responding to the points raised by leader of the opposition, Federal Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique said the government would consider views of the leader of the opposition in the policymaking process. "It appears as if leader of the opposition is criticising Chaudhry Nisar without hearing his speech," he said.
Rafique said the government was fully aware of army's constitutional responsibilities and dealing with the institution accordingly. "Today, the army is neither conducting dialogue (with the militants) nor taking decision about military operation against them," he said. The minister said that the army is also not formulating the country's foreign policy as the government has taken charge of all its constitutional responsibilities.
"The opposition is not friendly but experienced," he said, adding the government would take all appropriate steps to restore peace. The minister said that there is contradiction in stance of the leader of the opposition and the PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on the issue of Taliban talks.
Criticising the role of the PPP in the Lal Masjid operation, he said that Pakistan Peoples Party favoured military operation against the mosque, but later it led to a wave of terrorism across the country. Shah clarified that the PML-N was also with the PPP on Lal Masjid issue and favouring the military operation. The minister, however, contradicted the statement.
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