The Opposition in the National Assembly on Wednesday expressed concern over the Tuesday's agreement between the government and Taliban in Waziristan, saying that the House should have been taken into confidence.
MNA Naheed Khan of PPPP, on a point of order, demanded that Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao should make a statement on the floor of the House 'to what extent, the government had surrendered to the militants' demands.'
"The accord has caused concern across the country. Therefore, the minister should place before the House the details of it," PPPP legislator maintained. The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) and Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz-PML-N) MNAs did not seem interested in the issue to support her contention. Naheed Khan had to clarify her statement after MNA Maulana Merajuddin (from Waziristan) strongly objected to her concern over the agreement, which he believed would augur well for the country.
She pointed out that the aim of her raising the issue was not to object to it, but to know what had been agreed upon between the two parties. "There is nothing like victory or surrender. Does she want the region to paddle back to violence?" MNA Maulana Merajuddin contended.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Sher Afgan Niazi said what was wrong if both sides had amicably resolved their issues through dialogue that had been advocated from the Opposition from day one. He did not agree with MNA Naheed's demand, saying that it was not necessary that all the details of the agreement should be shared with the House.
The minister said the situation in the tribal belt had considerably improved, and it is a welcome understanding that no one would be allowed to cross into Afghanistan for any subversive activity there. Later, in reply to a question at a news conference at the Parliament cafeteria, PML (N) senior leader Khawaja Asif questioned the logic behind use of force in the tribal areas, saying the nation called for dialogue and the rulers ignored it.
Referring to the agreement, he said, therefore, a military operation was launched in Balochistan instead of a similar agreement with the local elders, as the government inked with local Taliban leaders. He pointed out that as many as 650 armed forces personnel were killed in the military action in the tribal areas, whereas in Balochistan, not even half of it died, but there was no serious effort for talks.