Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has strongly criticised Pakistan Army for restoring the services of its three retired generals with a view to court martialling for their involvement in National Logistics Cell (NLC). It had demanded that these retired army officers are tried in civilian courts.
"Three generals were involved in NLC corruption cases and they are not holy cows. If the politicians, civil bureaucrats and even Prime Minister are accountable to the civil courts then why retired military generals can not be made accountable by the civil courts," senior PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafique expressed these views while raising a question on the floor of the National Assembly on Monday.
"It is a big irregularity; I strongly condemn the action of the army for restoring their services; hence the Parliament, political leadership and Media should take strong notice of it. The Supreme Court can disqualify an elected prime minister but no one can touch a military officer," he said.
During the speech of PML-N leader, Saad Rafique, some treasury members thumped their desks in his support. About National Accountability Bureau (NAB), he said that even the legacy of General Musharraf (Retd) also existed in that department and many retired military officers had been appointed since the tenure of Musharraf. About the accountability bill, Saad Rafique said that if the government was serious it should introduce the bill in parliament for a legislation. He said that after the recent meeting of PPP leaders with the PML-N over this bill, Law Minister Farooq H Naek had said that the law would be applicable when the bill would become an act.
While appreciating the role of Public Accounts Committee (PAC), MNA Zafar Baig Battani also said that the civil courts should conduct the trial these three retired generals. He claimed that the whole of NAB department had been handed over to the military. Earlier, in the last Thursday's meeting of PAC, NAB officials had told the panel that the services of three retired generals of the Pakistan Army had been restored for court martial as they had been involved in NLC scam.
NAB officials briefed the body about the NLC scam involving corruption of billion of rupees. They told the PAC meeting that three army officers involved in the scandal were Lieutenant General Khalid Munir, Lieutenant General Afzal Muzaffar and Major General Zaheer Akhtar.