Pakistan's spy chief briefs lawmakers on terrorism

[Neo]

Pakistan's spy chief briefs lawmakers on terrorism​

By MUNIR AHMAD, Associated Press Writer
Wed Oct 8, 2008

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan's new spy chief showed lawmakers video and photos of militants killing people at a rare closed briefing Wednesday on the government's fight against Taliban and al-Qaida extremists, attendees said.

The fledgling civilian government called the special session of parliament as it sought political unity to stabilize the key U.S. ally in the war on terror.

Security officials showed the lawmakers footage of militants in the act of killing people, said two people who attended. They requested anonymity because they had been sworn to secrecy.

One of the attendees said they were also given statistics but declined to divulge them other than to say some appeared to have already been made public.

Suicide attacks have killed nearly 1,200 people since July 2007, most of them civilians, military data released last month showed. The date showed 1,368 security force personnel had been killed since late 2001, when Pakistan's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf allied with Washington in the war on terror.

The U.S. says the militants use Pakistan as a staging ground for attacks in Afghanistan. But American officials have praised a two-month-old Pakistani offensive in the Bajur tribal region that the Pakistani military claims has killed more than 1,000 insurgents.

At least 20 suspected militants were killed in fresh strikes there Wednesday, authorities said. Eight were believed to be foreigners.

Many in Pakistan blame that alliance with the U.S. for the rise in violence here. American missile strikes on militant hideouts in Pakistani territory along the Afghan border, where Osama bin Laden is rumored to be hiding, have further angered the population.

The briefing lasted about three hours and was to resume Thursday morning.

Officials said the session was an effort to include opposition parties in a discussion aimed at forging a national anti-terror plan.

"It was essential that those who are responsible for law making and who are representing the people should get insight about what actually going on in the country," Information Minister Sherry Rehman said.

Security was tight around the parliament building, with concrete barriers and barbed wire ringing a large perimeter outside the facility. The media was not allowed in.

Army spokesman Maj. Murad Khan confirmed that the army general newly appointed as head of the country's main spy agency, Ahmed Shujaa Pasha, spoke to lawmakers.

Afterward, some lawmakers told television channels that while they could not mention specifics of what was discussed, they had hoped for more depth.

"The briefing that was given to us today was rather superficial. It was more like the description of the symptoms than diagnosis of the disease," said Khurram Dastagir, a member of the opposition party of ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

"I am seeking to find out what is causing this extremism and how did it come about," he said in an interview on Dawn News Television.

Sharif painted the session as a sign that Pakistan had truly transitioned to civilian rule after years of being under the military rule of Musharraf, who quit the presidency in August.

"Parliament is a sovereign body and it should be given right to discuss the matter and come up with a national policy," Sharif said.

 

[Kasrkin]

"I am seeking to find out what is causing this extremism and how did it come about," he said in an interview on Dawn News Television.

What a retarded statement to make mate. People are dying and instead of trying to control it, these guys rather be involved in scholarly purists and pointless hypothetical ‘analysis’. Sometimes people go bad, sometimes people don’t care, sometimes they don’t realize they are being used by others for vile ends, sometimes they lack the capability, the resourcefulness or the discipline to realize that they are the worst of humanity. Sometimes people lack the will to make themselves better. Sometimes people fall prey to their own lust of power, their own desires, their own pride, their own misgivings or anger, sometimes people don’t know what they are doing is wrong because they don’t know any better.
Mankind is inherently flawed, we won’t stop murders by trying to study why people become murders, we won’t be able to stop all suicides just by trying to guess why they do it, we wont stop rapes by trying to study why people don’t respect other peoples honor and violate them so. There will always be a battlefield, there will always be those to fight for an ideal, and those who fight to destroy it. These people are criminals; they are terrorist…the worst sort of criminals that exist. They are not some disillusioned juveniles who stole a bag of chips or killed someone by mistake in underage driving, they do not deserved to be empathized with like so. These people get and spend millions of dollars making truck bombs, organizing insurrection and making Chaos.

It is best to manage mans flaws in an ongoing bases so as to save the most lives and most of society that can be saved. All Mr Amir-ul-Moineen and his friends are trying to do is imply that Pakistan Army’s actions and America’s presence completely justify and explain this violence against our nation and therefore there is no point in trying to fight it.

 

[PeaceForAll]

^^ thought I agree with you, at some point of time there has to be a check as to why all this extremism has started.. however, this is a very wrong time to do that.. maybe after getting a bit more stable, he should think of it...

but otherwise, I agree with you.. 100%

 

[DarkStar]

What a retarded statement to make mate. People are dying and instead of trying to control it, these guys rather be involved in scholarly purists and pointless hypothetical ‘analysis’. Sometimes people go bad, sometimes people don’t care, sometimes they don’t realize they are being used by others for vile ends, sometimes they lack the capability, the resourcefulness or the discipline to realize that they are the worst of humanity. Sometimes people lack the will to make themselves better. Sometimes people fall prey to their own lust of power, their own desires, their own pride, their own misgivings or anger, sometimes people don’t know what they are doing is wrong because they don’t know any better.
Mankind is inherently flawed, we won’t stop murders by trying to study why people become murders, we won’t be able to stop all suicides just by trying to guess why they do it, we wont stop rapes by trying to study why people don’t respect other peoples honor and violate them so. There will always be a battlefield, there will always be those to fight for an ideal, and those who fight to destroy it. These people are criminals; they are terrorist…the worst sort of criminals that exist. They are not some disillusioned juveniles who stole a bag of chips or killed someone by mistake in underage driving, they do not deserved to be empathized with like so. These people get and spend millions of dollars making truck bombs, organizing insurrection and making Chaos.

It is best to manage mans flaws in an ongoing bases so as to save the most lives and most of society that can be saved. All Mr Amir-ul-Moineen and his friends are trying to do is imply that Pakistan Army’s actions and America’s presence completely justify and explain this violence against our nation and therefore there is no point in trying to fight it.

Excellent points, Eloquently put.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Its important to note who is conducting the Parliamentary briefings as well - the new Director General of the ISI.

This is important because it goes a long way in symbolizing the new paradigm in civilian rule that Pakistan wants to project - of all its institutions reporting to, and being held accountable by, democratically elected representatives.

Of course the usual suspects will continue with their 'state within a state' tirades and conspiracies, but we should recognize the precedent these events are setting, and the demonstrated lack of involvement in civilian affairs by the military under Gen. Kiyani.

Flaws, faults and all, the road to continuity in democracy should be supported by all.

 

[ejaz007]

He has been appointed DG ISI but has not taken charge as yet. He is briefing parliament as DG Operations of Army.

Any way it is good step to brief parliament and get parliamentarians on board before making big decisions. The operation should continue till its logical conclusion.

 

[Kasrkin]

^^ thought I agree with you, at some point of time there has to be a check as to why all this extremism has started.. however, this is a very wrong time to do that.. maybe after getting a bit more stable, he should think of it...

but otherwise, I agree with you.. 100%

I just think in times of war, for politicians to sit in front of soldiers and insist that they be debating the enemy’s violent ideology as opposed to coming up with strong and firm directives that save lives, is stupidest thing ever. It shows how inept in every sense of the word our politicians are, despite all the blood and harm done to the nation they still rather go for cheap popularity because they are too cowardly to take any potentially unpopular stance. Tomorrow if the Indians or the Afghans invade, they will be doing the same thing, sitting in our parliament and pretending it’s all our fault and that nothing can be done other than appeasement.

Terrorism is not a subtle sickness ailing our country that needs to be ‘diagnosed’. It’s like a barbed wire that our enemies are using to choke Pakistan, its economy, its people, its ideology and its armed forces so they are in a weaker position to respond to threats from the real bullies of the world. The wire needs to be removed from our throats, the wire cannot be reasoned with because its very purpose is to choke us. If the politicians lack the capacity and courage to see this wire for what it is then we are hopeless.

 

[pkpatriotic]

What a retarded statement to make mate. People are dying and instead of trying to control it, these guys rather be involved in scholarly purists and pointless hypothetical ‘analysis’. Sometimes people go bad, sometimes people don’t care, sometimes they don’t realize they are being used by others for vile ends, sometimes they lack the capability, the resourcefulness or the discipline to realize that they are the worst of humanity. Sometimes people lack the will to make themselves better. Sometimes people fall prey to their own lust of power, their own desires, their own pride, their own misgivings or anger, sometimes people don’t know what they are doing is wrong because they don’t know any better.
Mankind is inherently flawed, we won’t stop murders by trying to study why people become murders, we won’t be able to stop all suicides just by trying to guess why they do it, we wont stop rapes by trying to study why people don’t respect other peoples honor and violate them so. There will always be a battlefield, there will always be those to fight for an ideal, and those who fight to destroy it. These people are criminals; they are terrorist…the worst sort of criminals that exist. They are not some disillusioned juveniles who stole a bag of chips or killed someone by mistake in underage driving, they do not deserved to be empathized with like so. These people get and spend millions of dollars making truck bombs, organizing insurrection and making Chaos.

It is best to manage mans flaws in an ongoing bases so as to save the most lives and most of society that can be saved. All Mr Amir-ul-Moineen and his friends are trying to do is imply that Pakistan Army’s actions and America’s presence completely justify and explain this violence against our nation and therefore there is no point in trying to fight it.

Perfact analysis indeed

 

[RabzonKhan]

Its important to note who is conducting the Parliamentary briefings as well - the new Director General of the ISI.

This is important because it goes a long way in symbolizing the new paradigm in civilian rule that Pakistan wants to project - of all its institutions reporting to, and being held accountable by, democratically elected representatives.

Of course the usual suspects will continue with their 'state within a state' tirades and conspiracies, but we should recognize the precedent these events are setting, and the demonstrated lack of involvement in civilian affairs by the military under Gen. Kiyani.

Flaws, faults and all, the road to continuity in democracy should be supported by all.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[RabzonKhan]

Political leadership briefed on counter-terrorism strategy: Taliban a threat to country’s security, Parliament told

* Army says Taliban in control of Swat, Shangla districts
* ISI DG shows slides, charts and films to convey situation’s gravity
* Says ‘neighbours’ involved in Balochistan insurgency
* Session to continue until next Thursday

By Sajjad Malik and Muhammad Bilal

ISLAMABAD: Parliamentarians were told in an in-camera session on Wednesday that the Taliban pose a serious threat to Pakistan’s security.

Sources familiar with the proceedings told Daily Times that newly-appointed ISI Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha briefed the parliamentarians on the gravity of the threat with the help of slides, charts and films. Gen Pasha had supervised military operations in the Tribal Areas and Swat as the director general of military operations before he was promoted.

Swat and Shangla: He told the parliament that the Taliban had gained complete control over certain districts, including Swat and Shangla, and that the armed forces were trying to contain their influence. The military was capable of dealing with the threat, he said, but also told the public representatives about the difficulties it was facing in the operation.

Gen Pasha explained the methods the Taliban and terrorists employ to brainwash and train young people and use them against Pakistan’s military. He also told the parliament about the torture methods they used on abducted soldiers that included throwing acid in their faces.

The sources said the participants were disturbed by the grim details and most of them remained silent during and after the briefing. Gen Pasha said 1,368 troops had died in the fight since 2001, and the military had killed 2,825Taliban and terrorists including 581 foreigners.

Some of them were crossing into Pakistan from Afghanistan to fight Pakistani troops in Bajaur, Gen Pasha said, adding that the US and Afghan authorities had been informed.

He said the rules of engagement with the US-led forces in Afghanistan clearly state that only Pakistani forces would take action against targets inside Pakistan, but the US forces had committed 35 aerial incursions into Pakistan so far.

Balochistan: The new ISI chief told the parliament that some of Pakistan’s neighbours were involved in the current unrest in Balochistan, and that certain western think tanks were fuelling the insurgency. The insurgents were systematically destroying gas and power installations to harm Pakistan’s economy. He did not talk about the sources of funding of the fighters in FATA, the NWFP and Balochistan, the sources told Daily Times.

Session: The session was then adjourned to meet at 11am today (Thursday) for a question-and-answer session followed by a general discussion not including military leaders, starting on Monday. The parliamentary session is likely to continue until next Thursday, the sources said. The government will then set up a committee consisting of one member from each political party to formulate policy recommendations. The president, the prime minister and the army chief met after the briefing.

 

[Munir]

Well, if parlement did not knew this already then we seriously have to re-elect these positions... The nation is bombed, attacked and terrorized by people with beard-mentality. They kill and terrorize innoncent people. They use Pakistan as a tool to attack others. Do we have to make assumptions or clarify definitions? I think it is do or die and to be honest... There is no time left. The army has been inactive to long. Now they should push everything related to foreigners out of Pakistan so US/Afghanistani do the jov the desperately want to do. We have to re-educate people cause this is not the way to become prosperous nor islamic. If needed we should eliminate these terror cells and protect the ordinary Pakistani. We should eliminate non PA weapons in this area.

 

[Cheetah786]

Security officials showed the lawmakers footage of militants in the act of killing people, said two people who attended. They requested anonymity because they had been sworn to secrecy.

And this is where they lose me if you are trying to win against Terrorist and want the people to be with you shouldn't you be showing this on live televising so people can actually see the reality of these terrorist.but they go out of there way to protect these terrorist i have yet to hear any of these captured terrorist being punished for there crimes.there identities are hardly ever revealed.
negotiating with terrorist meeting there demands every step of the way after one peace agreement failed negotiate another one releasing captured terrorist with weapons yeah i say GOP is out to get these terrorist.
ISI and military tops keep this as a secret i personally believe like other millions that GOP isn't interested in doing any thing about this and they are behind it all may be some one here can convince me otherwise.

 

[was]

Pak Army to pursue Parliament’s policy on war on terror: ISI
Updated at: 2245 PST, Thursday, October 09, 2008
ISLAMABAD: Director General Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt. General Ahmed Shuja Pasha Thursday assured lawmakers that whatever policy parliament comes up with for the war on terror, the army would strictly adhere to it, but Pakistan does not have the technology to shoot down drones.

General Pasha's comments came in reply to questions by parliamentarians on the second-day of the ongoing in-camera session.

The Pakistan Muslim League-N, however, did not ask any questions, saying General Pasha’s briefing was of technical nature and had no policy guideline for the war on terror. They claimed they were sure that their questions related to a policy would not be answered.

The ISI Director General said parliament could change the ongoing policy in the war, if it wants.

He said that Pakistan does not have the technology to bring down drones ... and the country could not fight the U.S.

The lawmakers said Pervez Musharraf should be asked for the details of agreements he signed with the US on the war.

And now the house will meet as Joint Sitting on Monday and it will be in-camera. The Session that has been adjourned till 11:00 AM, Monday would resume debate on the law and order and war on terror.

Dr. Fehmida Mirza, Speaker National Assembly chaired the session that continued for over 4-hours.

Pak Army to pursue Parliament’s policy on war on terror: ISI

 

[RabzonKhan]

Too bad nobody from PML-N MNA’s even bothered to ask any questions.


An open mind, please

October 10, 2008. AS if to punctuate the severity of the militancy threat, a suicide bomber struck in Islamabad as legislators gathered for the second day of the special in-camera session of parliament. Unfortunately, some opposition MPs have acted in unseemly haste in declaring the classified briefing unsatisfactory and lacking depth. As the briefing to parliament, governors, chief ministers and other specially invited guests is classified, there is no way of specifically assessing the disgruntled MPs’ claims.

However, there is no doubt that they have spoken with undue haste and disregarded the historic nature of the briefing. Consider the background to this week’s in-camera session of parliament. After eight years of direct and indirect rule by an army chief, on whose watch the so-called war on terror began, a popularly elected civilian government has taken the reins of the state at a moment of acute crisis.

Pilloried for months for not taking the nation or its legislators into confidence on its strategy for dealing with militancy, the government finally summoned the army to explain its strategy for countering increasingly emboldened militants in Pakistan. While it is certainly parliament’s legal prerogative to summon state officials — uniformed or otherwise — to explain their conduct, the ongoing classified briefing is a very positive sign for democracy given the history of army supremacy over parliament. Only the most churlish of opposition MPs would fail to appreciate this gain for politics and politicians.

The criticism of the content of the briefing itself was similarly misguided. The briefing given by the director general of military operations was criticised for being too focused on military operations rather than the strategic threat from the militants. This is very confusing. First, the criticism came even before MPs asked questions in the scheduled question-and-answer session. Second, the supremacy of parliament — which is what opposition MPs have claimed is the need of the hour — demands that parliament decide the strategy that the military must execute.

Opposition MPs have kept their heads in the sand when it comes to recognising the militancy threat. The suicide blast in Bhakkar targeted none other than the scion of a political family that supports the PML-N. Punjab, a stamping ground for militants, is governed by a coalition led by the PML-N.

Some APDM leaders, meanwhile, have continued with their rejectionist politics, turning their backs on a special government invitation to attend the parliamentary briefing. Democracy is about debate and choosing from a menu of alternatives. Everyone invited had a duty to step forward and make a case for their own strategy of defeating militancy. Rather than reflexive opposition to the government, opposition MPs have a duty to uphold democratic values and protect the people of this country

 

[Cheetah786]

Rabzon there are 2 many of these so called that sympathies with these terrorist.

No consensus in sight on terror war policy:

By Ahmed Hassan

ISLAMABAD, Oct 9: If the government aims at creating a national consensus on its strategy in the “war on terror” through the joint session of parliament, it seems to have failed in its objective as all opposition groups have been expressing dissatisfaction with the briefing and the quality of answers to their questions.
However, the onus of giving solid and unwavering suggestions for formulation of a new strategy on the war on terror rests with the opposition when they start speaking on Monday – the third day of the in-camera session.

The PML-N’s parliamentary leader, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, called upon the government to summon former president Pervez Musharraf to the session to tell the parliament about the “rules of engagement” agreed upon with Washington.

He said his party would not take part in the question-answer session as it was not satisfied with the format of the briefing so far. “We want the parliament to be briefed on an umbrella strategy to replace the existing policy.”

The parliamentary group leaders had agreed in a meeting with Speaker Fehmida Mirza that a general debate would follow the briefing and every lawmaker would be allowed a certain amount of time to speak and forward suggestions for the formulation of a new strategy.

A unanimous resolution containing recommendations on the basis of suggestions made by the lawmakers is likely to be adopted before prorogation, sources said.

On suggestions from legislators, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani promised to brief legislators after consulting his party.

President Asif Ali Zardari has in the meantime convened a meeting of the PPP’s central executive committee on Friday. It will also be attended by the prime minister, ostensibly to discuss deliberations of the joint sitting.

Those who spoke or put up questions during the proceedings included Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, PML-Q’s Faisal Saleh Hayat, Leader of Opposition in the Senate Kamil Ali Agha, Munir Orakzai (Fata), Senator Khurshid Ahmed (JI), Maulana Fazlur Rehman (JUI-F) Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao (PPP-S), Leader of House in the Senate Mian Raza Rabbani and Asfandyar Wali Khan (ANP).

Khurram Dastagir Khan, of PML-N, told reporters that all questions about a new strategy remained unanswered in Thursday’s proceedings as Gen Ahmed Shuja, the director general of military operations, expressed inability to respond to them.

He said the whole nation and its representatives were united on the need for a national strategy to face the present imbroglio, but they also want to understand the gravity of the situation and the “terms of engagement” with the United States.

He said his party had suggested that the government should take the parliament into confidence about the US air strikes and intrusions by ground forces.

Insiders said that a major part of the four-hour session remained lacklustre as majority of the participants left the house after the first hour.

The chief of PML-N, Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif, who had attended the first day’s meeting, was absent from the house. Only Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chief of Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani remained seated till the end.

Ahsan Iqbal, of the PML-N, said lawmakers would not be satisfied unless they were informed about the utility of the military operation so far and its dividends to the nation.

New chapter

Meanwhile, Information Minister Sherry Rehman has described the session as a new chapter for democracy.

“The ongoing briefing session for the parliamentarians is a step towards strengthening the democratic system as it is aimed at taking public representatives on board on the most important challenge the country is currently facing,” said Ms Rehman while talking to the media on Thursday.

She said that “public ownership of the war” was critical to the nation’s success against terrorism. “The threat cannot be shrugged off through suggestions advocating pulling out of the global battle against these non-state actors.

“We cannot expect these terrorists to retire if we halt military operation against them. The government will also be giving a national security briefing in the larger strategic context.”

A PPP lawmaker, Tariq Mustafa Bajwa, made an interesting comment on the briefing: “We need to understand that the terrorists were fed by the drug money of Afghanistan.

“Even 10 per cent of the enormous drug money could be enough to destroy half the world, let alone producing suicide bombers.”