Pakistan: PPP Senator calls for oversight of security of establishment

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Taking part in the discussion Senator Farhatullah Babar said that the security situation in the country would get worsened as a result of the withdrawal of NATO forces, the empowerment of Taliban in Afghanistan and both Pakistan and Afghanistan believing that their worst enemies have sanctuaries in the other country.

The TTP almost spontaneously rejected the renewed talks offer made by cabinet committee on national security last month. To dramatize its rejection the TTP also launched within hours a brazen suicide attack on soldiers in North Waziristan and on imambargah in Gracey lines in Rawalpindi thereby leaving no doubt about its true intentions.

A complex security situation is thus in the making, he warned.

He said that after the appointment of Fazlullah as TTP chief both Pakistan and Afghanistan can claim for the first time that their worst enemies have sanctuaries in each other’s country.

The moment of truth has arrived and we must contend with the cross border movement of militants with impunity.

He said that cross border militancy related to the security establishment and there was need for institutional mechanisms for oversight of the security establishments.

As a first measure to make the security establishment accountable the Parliament should adopt a law that while giving the security agencies the powers to arrest and detain militants engaged in anti state activities also made them subject to some form of parliamentary oversight.

He said that it was time to enact a law to address the issue of missing persons in the country as recommended by the Commission on Enforced Disappearances, the Senate and also observed by superior courts during the course of hearings in missing persons cases. He said that the interior minister had on June 17 last year during discussion in the senate on security situation had admitted of a serious disconnect between the civilian set up and the security establishment and promised to address it. Unless this disconnect is addressed and the security establishment is subjected to some measure of political and parliamentary oversight the security situation in Pakistan during the days ahead will deteriorate further, he said.