'Adventurers' have damaged army's prestige: NA
07 September, 2012
ISLAMABAD: Paying homage to the armed forces on the occasion of Defence Day, members in the Lower House of parliament said adventurers in the ranks of army had damaged the prestige of this institution. The House then unanimously adopted a resolution to pay tribute to soldiers for protecting the frontiers of the country against unprovoked aggression. On the occasion of Defence Day, the House first took time to remember the sacrifices of the armed forces in 1965 war before its regular agenda and passed the resolution moved by Defence Minister Syed Naveed Qamar. Interior Minister Rehman Malik said conspiracies were being hatched against the country for being a nuclear state. He pointed out that there was no Shia-Sunni conflict in the country and that under a conspiracy riots were first triggered in Gilgit-Baltistan and then in Quetta. Speaking in the National Assembly on a point of order, the minister said it is high time to rise above personal differences and thwart the plans of enemies portraying Pakistan as a failed state. "There is strong information that the anti-state elements are planning to attack Peshawar in the coming days," he told the House. Malik felt all these conspiracies were aimed at destabilising Pakistan and to weaken the political hierarchy and government. He said internal and external enemies had united against the country's nuclear programme and hatching conspiracies to weaken it. "Today Fazlullah, Faqeerullah and Waliur Rehman stand united against us by forgetting their differences. It is a grave conspiracy against Pakistan," Malik told the House. "They train militants in Afghanistan and send them to Pakistan for terrorist activities." "We know their sponsors and financiers. We are alive to our responsibilities and nobody should forget that our forces are capable of defending the motherland," the minister added. PPP's Akunzada Chattan, commending the efforts of the armed forces in FATA against militants, said adventurers within ranks of the armed forces had damaged the institution, and pointed out that these elements had penetrated well in it. Shazia Marri of the PPP said the soldiers of 1965 were a source of inspiration for the youths, however, those generals of the armed forces who had violated their oaths by usurping the governments in the past, had brought a bad name. PPP's Zafar Ali Shah was vocal in his remarks and said the army's role should be professional, and questioned what relevance army had with defence housing colonies in different parts of the country. He also urged for withdrawing the army from Balochistan by handing over security matters to the Levies. Recalling his presence in a meeting during the Ayub Khan era, he pointed out that he was misguided by his aides that Pakistan should move it troops to Kashmir and India would not retaliate against it. PML-N's Mahmood Bashir Virk said emotionally, "We have forgotten that we are a nation", and that an external enemy attacked us in 1965 but today the enemy was damaging us internally. Referring to the armed forces' fight against internal elements, Virk said, "This war is ours and we have to stand with army." Federal Minister Akram Masih Gil said minorities also rendered sacrifices in 1965 and late Air Commodore (r) Cecil Chaudhry was a glaring example of it. Earlier, during the question hour, Parliamentary Secretary for Communication Chaudhry Saeed Iqbal told the House that talks were underway with the US for rehabilitation of Torkham-Peshawar and Chaman-Quetta roads, which had been badly damaged due to passing of NATO containers. End.
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