GCC chief leaves Yemen after ruling party signs deal

SANAA, May 22 (Xinhua) -- The Yemeni government on Sunday sent a military helicopter to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Embassy in Sanaa to carry chief of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Abdullatif al-Zayani to the airport after the ruling party signed the GCC-brokered deal, a security official told Xinhua.

"Al-Zayani left Sanaa after representatives of the ruling party signed the deal, which President Ali Abdullah Saleh refused to ink personally, stipulating the presence of the opposition in order to sign it," the official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Al-Zayani headed for the Saudi capital Riyadh to attend a meeting of GCC foreign ministers to discuss the results of the GCC efforts to resolve the Yemeni political standoff, a government official said.

According to the security official, dispatching the helicopter came after Saleh's loyalists staged a "peaceful rally" earlier the day in front of the UAE embassy, where Gulf mediators and western ambassadors were waiting for Saleh to sign the U.S.-backed GCC deal.

He said earlier that the rally was staged to "protest against the U.S.-backed GCC deal which proposed Saleh's resignation within a month after he signs it."

"It is a peaceful show, the protesters do not want Saleh to sign the deal," he added.

Meanwhile, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Sunday urged the Yemeni government to take necessary measures to guarantee the safety of the UAE embassy in Sanaa and all its staff.

The deal, which has been derailed twice since April, stipulates Saleh to leave office within 30 days after signing it in exchange for immunity from prosecution, and a new government, to be formed by the opposition within seven days, should arrange the presidential and parliamentary elections in 60 days.

Another military helicopter was also sent to the UAE embassy to carry the Gulf and Western ambassadors to Yemen to their missions in Sanaa.

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Yemeni President Balks at Signing Resignation Deal

Saleh warns of Yemen civil war, Gulf deal unsigned

 Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh warned on Sunday of civil war if the opposition defied his call for them to be present at his palace for him to sign a Gulf deal on a transition of power.

Yemen -- Yemen's embattled president on Sunday resisted intense U.S. and Arab pressure and stalled at signing a deal calling for him to step down in 30 days, as his regime brought armed supporters into the streets demanding he stay. Hundreds of militiamen trapped the American and other ambassadors inside a diplomatic mission for hours.

The militiamen, armed with knives and swords, blocked the entrances to the United Arab Emirates Embassy, where at least five U.S., European and Arab ambassadors had gathered, expecting President Ali Abdullah Saleh to arrive to sign the agreement.

Finally in the evening, Yemeni military helicopters landed at the embassy and ferried the diplomats out, taking them to the presidential palace. There they witnessed several Yemeni ruling party officials sign the accord. But Saleh, shown on state TV standing alongside the U.S. ambassador, did not sign.

Saleh said afterward he would not do so unless opposition leaders attend and sign it as well in public, not "behind closed doors."

"If they don't comply, they are dragging us to a civil war, and they will have to hold responsibility for the bloodshed in the past and the blood which will be spilled later on because of their stupidity," Saleh warned in an address on state TV.

The developments threatened to wreck a U.S.-backed, Gulf Arab-mediated accord that diplomats hope could resolve the turmoil that has raged in Yemen for the past three months, with tens of thousands of protesters demanding Saleh step down after 32 years in power, and his regime unleashing a deadly crackdown. The accord calls for Saleh to step down in 30 days and hand power to his vice president, in return for immunity from prosecution.

A coalition of opposition parties signed the agreement in private on Saturday, and Saleh promised to sign it the following day.

Saleh has backed away from signing the deal at least twice before, adding to the opposition's deep mistrust of a leader known for adept political maneuvering that has kept him in power for decades. A Gulf official in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, warned that the Gulf Cooperation Council, the regional body that mediated the deal, would withdraw from mediation if Saleh did not sign by the end of the day Sunday.

Pakistan and China — what about India?

In conversations with the Afghan leadership during their visit to Kabul last week, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other top Indian officials were stunned to hear that Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and Army Chief Ashfaq Kayani had told their Afghan hosts, during their own visit to Kabul last month, that upon the withdrawal of the Americans from Afghanistan, China should be, both, encouraged and allowed to fill in the vacuum.

I suppose the pieces of the jigsaw were falling into place quite nicely —if only that chap, Osama bin Laden, hadn’t rudely disrupted all those carefully coordinated plans in Islamabad and Beijing.

China is easily the world’s most interesting power, both because of its phenomenal economic rise and because of the debate taking place within the country over the kind of political power it should exercise across the world. And Pakistan, long Beijing’s special friend, is now helping it become top dog in Middle Asia as well.

Sometimes, I wonder why — even if many of you think that is an utterly naive thought. First of all, Pakistan and China share what has come to be known as the “all-weather friendship, deeper than the seas and higher than the mountains”, a turn of phrase that commends the creative juices on both sides.

China has helped Pakistan build both bridges and nuclear plants over the years, and, as the Pakistan prime minister’s very successful just-concluded visit to Beijing demonstrates, friendship cements the permanent interests of both nations.

Of course, India is closely watching the outcome of Gilani’s warm handshake with Hu Jintao, but it seems to me that, this time around, there is a subtle change in Delhi’s reaction to the Pakistani-Chinibhai-bhai bonhomie.

Not that Delhi will underplay the deep significance of Gilani’s visit, which includes the promise of additional nuclear reactors to neutralise the importance of the Indo-US nuclear deal, as well as more Chinese fighter jets to balance the 126-fighter jet deal that India is soon likely to finalise.

The fact is that, for the first time, India holds a card that has the capacity to balance the Pakistan-China primary relationship, and this is the $60 billion trade that is significantly in China’s favour. By 2015, this figure is likely to touch $100 billion annually.

My point here is that Comrade Hu will warmly shake the hand of ‘old friend’ Gilani, but he is smart enough to know his own strategic limits. He knows there is too much at stake in the India-China relationship to make promises he can’t keep with Pakistan.

Which brings me to the question of friendship. Who is Pakistan’s best friend? Not the Americans. Certainly the Saudis, and by all accounts, the Chinese. Sometimes I wonder where India fits in, if it does at all. So here’s my question: Pakistan and China must promote each other’s interests, because of the extremely special nature of their relationship, in Afghanistan as well as the rest of South Asia. But let’s not confuse that feeling with friendship.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 22^nd, 2011.

Breaking News: Blast inside PAF museum

Updated at: 2239 PST,  Sunday, May 22, 2011  KARACHI: A loud blast has occurred in a guard room of PAF base Faisal located along Sharea Faisal, Geo News reported. Ambulances are also being seen rushing toward the base. Militants attack Karachi military base Several explosions have been heard near the PAF Museum  on Dalmia Road in Karachi. The force of the blasts have   shattered  the windows of surrounding buildings, reports said. Heavy gunfire was also reported after the explosion. An eyewitness said  that the blasts took place near the gate of Faisal Base. “We have four dead and five wounded but the number could rise,”  a security official told Reuters. A large fire and a thick cloud of smoke has also been reported.  Police have sealed the area. “We are trying to check the cause of the blast. I cannot say,” said a senior police official. Another police official said gunfire was also reported from inside the base, Reuters reported. “Several blasts were heard inside, the firing is still continuing,” Aslam Khan, a senior police officer at site told AFP. “It’s a terrorist attack. More than 10 terrorists are inside. They have attacked a navy air station located in a Pakistan Air Force base,”  said provincial home ministry official Sharfuddin Memon. “One of the four aircraft inside the premises has been damaged,” he added.

Taliban 'take revenge' for bin Laden raid

Islamist militants stormed a naval base in the Pakistani city of Karachi late on Sunday, destroying two US-supplied surveillance aircraft, firing rockets and battling commandos sent to subdue them in one of the most brazen attacks in years, officials said.

At least four navy personnel and a paramilitary ranger were killed and 11 security forces were wounded in fighting at the Naval Station Mehran that was still ongoing on Monday morning, navy spokesperson Irfan ul Haq said.


The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was part of their revenge for the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden.


It was unclear how many militants were killed or wounded. Between 10 and 15 attackers entered the high-security facility before splitting into smaller groups, setting off explosions and hiding in the sprawling facility, Haq said.


The militants attacked the base from three sides and had control of one building as of Monday morning, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said. Navy helicopters were flying over the base in search of the attackers.

"Because of the presence of several assets on the base, the operation is being carried out in a cautious, smart way," Haq said, referring to military aircraft. "That's why it's taking so long."

Conspiracy theories abound in Karachi


A huge billboard outside Pakistan's naval air force headquarters, which came under sustained attack for hours on Monday, says it all -- "Pakistan Air Force Museum. Unique experience."


Attacks against Pakistan security forces are all too common, but the scale of Monday's operation marked it out as the most audacious since the killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden by U.S. forces early this month.


Blasts rang out and helicopters hovered above the PNS Mehran base in the commercial hub of Karachi, for hours after more than 20 Pakistani Taliban militants stormed the building with guns and grenades on Sunday night, blowing up at least one aircraft.


The Pakistan Taliban, which is allied with al Qaeda, said the attack was to avenge bin Laden's killing. At least 12 military personnel were killed and 14 wounded.


It was not clear how many of the militants were killed.


"If these people can just enter a military base like this, then how can any Pakistani feel safe?" asked Mazhar Iqbal, 28, engineering company administrator taking a lunch break in the shade outside the complex where a crowd had gathered on a patch of grass to watch journalists set up camp as much as anything.


He said he was from an insecure area of the southern city already infamous as a source of funding for militant groups.


"The government and the army are just corrupt. We need new leaders with a vision for Pakistan."


Karachi has a population of about 18 million people, a volatile mix of rival ethnic groups and political factions, who all to readily resort to violence to settle scores.


Sprawling along the sun-baked coast of the Arabian Sea, the city is also home to Pakistan's main port, financial markets and the central bank.


It is also a transit point for military and other supplies to Afghanistan for the U.S.- and NATO-led anti-insurgency effort there.


QUESTIONS


The navy base is ringed with a concrete wall with about five feet (1.5 metres) of barbed wire on top. An aircraft, armed with rockets, hangs on show on a stand outside.


 Two white paramilitary ranger vehicles had taken up position outside the main gate, each with a machinegun on top and an officer wearing a black cap and camouflage.


 There were about 30 to 40 journalists gathering outside, with seven satellite dishes attached to their trucks. Helicopters buzzed overhead and the main road outside was closed to traffic.


Moin Babar, 35, a technical engineer, said people were trying to understand how the militants made it inside.


"I heard that 15 went in through a sewer," he said.


Kamran Khalil, 48, a civil engineer, suggested, like many others, a conspiracy.


"How can this happen? It's taking them so long to resolve the issue. India or the CIA could have been behind this. They want to show that Pakistan forces are ineffective."


Many in Pakistan were furious with the U.S. operation to kill bin Laden without sharing any intelligence beforehand with Islamabad, which they saw as a severe breach of sovereignty.

"This is all a reaction to American policy




Operation at Karachi naval base ends after more than 13 hrs

Pakistan retakes control of naval base raided by militants

A brazen attack, targeting one of the Pakistan's most well-guarded military installations last night has reportedly, left at least 12 dead and 14 injured. The siege in Karachi's naval air station ended on Monday afternoon after more than 13 hours. The Pakistan Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement, they said it was revenge for Osama bin Laden's killing.


Pakistani security forces on Monday retook control of a naval base in Karachi that had been under siege by militants for 17 hours, but the brazen, commando-style attack renewed disturbing questions about the military's ability to defend sensitive installations, including its nuclear arsenal.

A team of 10 to 15 militants armed with rocket launchers, AK-47s and hand grenades stormed the Mehran Naval Station late Sunday, destroyed two U.S.-supplied maritime surveillance aircraft at the base and then engaged Pakistani navy commandos and soldiers in a pitched firefight that ended late Monday afternoon.


That attack raised serious questions within Pakistani society about the military's capability to defend not just civilians, but also itself from Islamist militant violence, and those doubts would likely be renewed by the assault in Karachi. Even before Sunday, the public's confidence in the military had been shaken by the raid on the Bin Laden and the ease with which U.S. military helicopters were able to slip deep into Pakistani territory undetected.

Moreover, the attack in Karachi would probably raise fears among leaders in Washington and Europe about Pakistan'sability to secure its nuclear arsenal, which is estimated to consist of about 100 nuclear weapons.

"I'm sure there will be concerns around the world about this, there's no doubt about it," said security analyst Talat Masood, a retired Pakistani general. "I think Pakistan will have to make certain that anything like this cannot be repeated from the standpoint of nuclear installations."

Masood called the siege in Karachi "a very strong indictment of Pakistan and its security forces and their ability to defend themselves. It will have a very demoralizing effect on the people, because if the security forces are unable to secure themselves and defend themselves, what expectations can the people have that the security forces will be able to defend the population?"

The attack on the Mehran Naval Station in Karachi, Pakistan's largest city and its financial capital, began about 10:30 p.m. Sunday. Interior Minister Rehman Malik said the militants, dressed in black, converged on the base from three sides. Behind the base is the Shah Faisal Colony, a poor, run-down neighborhood from which Islamic militants have been arrested in the past.

The militants were able to shoot their way past the base's outer cordon of security guards and get inside, where they split into groups. The two P-3C Orion surveillance aircraft that the militants destroyed were given to the Pakistani navy by the U.S. in June 2010. The aircraft are used for maritime patrol and equipped with special equipment for the detection of submarines.

The Pakistani Taliban had vowed to avenge Bin Laden's killing with attacks on Pakistanis and Americans. Their first major retaliatory strike took place May 13, when twin suicide bombings killed at least 80 paramilitary recruits in the northwest town of Shabqadar. On Friday, a car bomb targeted two U.S. consulate vehicles in the northwest city of Peshawar, killing a Pakistani bystander and slightly injuring Americans inside the cars.

Pakistan military: the enemy within ?

The breach of security at a major Pakistani navy base in the southern city of Karachi has, inevitably, raised questions of complicity, which must be the greatest worry once the night-long siege by the militants ends and the military has finished counting its losses.


That a group of 15 or more attackers armed with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades could gain access to the inner perimeter of the Mehran base and succeed in blowing up one U.S.-supplied P -3 Orion maritime aircraft and damaging another aircraft, while holding off security forces for more than 12 hours speaks of a large, complex attack that needs some level of help from within. One former Pakistani navy official told a TV channel that the attack appeared to have been planned from a map of facility.



Time magazine’s Omar Wahraich wrote that most analysts believe the success of an apparently well-organized attack on this scale would have required at least some complicity from within the military. In terms of the sheer audacity of the attack, this one is similar to the Oct. 10, 2009 attack on the Army General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, in which militants penetrated the heavily guarded installation and held several senior and junior officers hostage. The attackers were found to have links to low-ranking military personnel with fundamentalist sympathies, Wahraich notes.



Is the ground starting to shift under the Pakistan military ? First the militants that it nurtured turned against it. such as the Pakistani Taliban which has vowed a war against the state and has claimed responsibility for the Mehran attack. Now, are elements within the military turning against the state as it comes under unprecedented international pressure to roll up the militant networks ?



It’s a crisis the military seems to have been grappling with as far back as 2006 as a recent set of U.S. diplomatic cables reveal. Pakistan’s air force was concerned about radicalisation within its ranks and reported acts of petty sabotage of fighter planes deployed for security operations along the Afghan border. A March 2006 cable from the U.S. embassy in Islamabad quotes then Deputy Chief of Air Staff for Operations, Air Vice Marshal Khalid Chaudhry, as saying that the airmen, most of whom came from villages, were being radicalised by extremist Islamic clerics. The cable also says that Chaudhry claimed “to receive reports monthly of acts of petty sabotage, which he interpreted as an effort by Islamists amongst the enlisted ranks to prevent PAF aircraft from being deployed in support of security operations in the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA) along the Afghan border.”

Sit-in suspends NATO supplies

While implementation of Parliament’s resolution to halt NATO 

supplies in protesting drones was not in sight, last night bombing

in Khyber Agency and PTI’s sit-in at Karachi forced suspension

of transit through Pakistan.

Death of 16 people in NATO tanker inferno had forced the Organization to halt its supplies but that was temporarily, a security official told Online on Sunday. Though the supplies were resumed after security clearance after the Landikotal tanker bombing and consequent inferno, NATO containers did not move at all from Karachi on Sunday in the wake of Tehrik-i-Insaf sit-in. In addition to Sunni Tehrik, transporters and truckers association had already announced to stay on strike in solidarity with the sit-in.

Therefore, the trucks carrying NATO supplies did not move at all from Karachi on Sunday morning, the official added.

The impediments to the NATO supplies have nothing to do with any government decision or the Parliament’s resolution that it had passed unanimously at the end of over 10 hours long in-camera joint sitting, the official categorically told Online.

Commenting on a report published in foreign media that Pakistan suspended NATO supplies after the incident in Landi-Kothal that killed 16 people, a high ranking official on condition of anonymity told Online on Sunday that Pakistan didn’t order any suspension in the supplies.

Major portion of the NATO supplies first comes to Karachi and are then transported via Turkham or Chaman to Afghanistan, the official said. But protests in the port city of Pakistan are creating hurdles in transportation, so the transportation was suspended, other officials confirmed.

The foreign media reports also claimed that difficult situation in Pakistan forced US to sort out a new route via Russia or Central Asian States to Afghanistan.

However, officials in Pakistan are declining to comment on any bilateral development between Russia and US. “We have no authentic information in this connection,” a responsible official said.

When asked for her official version Pakistani Foreign Office Spokesperson Tehmina Janjua said that she is unaware of any development regarding NATO supplies.

Thousands protest against US drone attacks in Pakistan

Thousands demonstrated in Karachi on Sunday to demand an immediate end to US missile strikes in Pakistan's lawless tribal areas and urge the blocking of NATO supplies passing through the country.

Activists from the Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice) continued a two-day sit-in outside the city's Arabian Sea port, urging the government to end its cooperation with Washington's "war on terror".

"It is not Pakistan's war, this is America's war. This war has killed thousands of innocent Pakistanis, women and children," the group's leader and former cricketer Imran Khan told the gathering of around 7,000 supporters.

Karachi is Pakistan's economic hub, home to its stock exchange and a lifeline for a depressed economy wilting under inflation and stagnating foreign investment.

The city, the country's largest, is important to logistical support for NATO forces fighting against Taliban militants in Afghanistan.

"There was not a single Taliban militant in Pakistan before 9/11 but since we joined this war, we are facing acts of terrorism, bombing and drone strikes," Khan said.

The demonstrators chanted anti-US slogans and carried banners and placards reading "Death for America" and "Stop drone strikes in Pakistan".

Khan said the US drone strikes were creating "suicide bombing factories" and urged the government to stop taking foreign aid.

"These attacks are against Pakistan's interests. I ask the government to stop NATO supplies via Pakistan, but I am sure they can't, because these shame-proof rulers are getting dollars," he said.

NATO supply trucks, oil tankers and equipment required by coalition troops in Afghanistan are shipped through Pakistan, although US troops increasingly use alternative routes through central Asia.

The US drone strikes are deeply unpopular among the Pakistani public, who see foreign military action on Pakistani soil as a violation of national sovereignty.

Pakistan has officially protested to the United States that the strikes violate its sovereignty, although some official

China urges US to respect Pak sovereignty

China has asked the United States to respect Pakistan’s sovereignty, understand its problems, address its concerns and acknowledge the sacrifices rendered by it in the war against terror.

During a meeting with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani here Wednesday, Chinese Premier Wen Jibao said he had taken up the matter with US officials during a recent strategic and economic dialogue in Washington, adding that the Americans had acknowledged Pakistan’s contributions to the war on terror and assured him that their country would take steps to improve relations with Pakistan.

Pakistan give women cricketers central contracts for the first time

Nineteen Pakistan women cricketers have been awarded 12-month central contracts for the first time as an acknowledgment that their game is now becoming professional.

Last year the national women’s team won the Asian Games Twenty20 title and last month they finished first in a four-nation tournament in Sri Lanka which included the hosts, Ireland and the Netherlands.

Pakistan captain Sana Mir said the introduction of contracts would encourage more women to take up cricket.

“It is a great achievement for women cricketers in Pakistan because in recent years we have definitely shown improvement,” she said.

Mir said contracts would persuade more women to take up cricket.
“The board is now also having regular domestic competitions for women players and that is only improving our standards,” she said.

The leading women will get a retainer of 50,000 rupees, about $600, compared to 250,000 rupees ($2,950) for the top men players.Pakistan women take part in a variety of sports but they have complained of a lack of encouragement and facilities in a socially conservative society.

High horizons

Regional government announces cash prize for Hassan Sadpara. PHOTO: EXPRESS

The feat by Hasan Sadpara from Skardu, who becomes only the second climber from Pakistan to scale Mount Everest, should make us all proud. What is more, Sadpara made the ascent without supplementary oxygen — a feat first achieved by the legendary Italian climber Reinhold Messner and his Austrian partner Peter Haebler in 1978. Another Pakistani, Nazir Sabir, had successfully reached the summit of the world’s highest peak in 2000.

The achievement by the little-known Sadpara underscores the extent of the mountaineering talent that lies within Pakistan. With fewer and fewer international climbers visiting the country due to security concerns, we sometimes forget that some of the world’s highest mountains stand in our northern areas. Sadpara, before proudly planting the Pakistan flag on the peak of Everest in Nepal, had successfully reached the tops of K2, Nanga Parbat and Broad Peak in his own country. The ascent of Nanga Parbat is considered by many in the mountaineering community to be the toughest of all high-altitude climbs.

Sadpara has also achieved something only a handful of people around the world have managed, despite a paucity of money and training. Mountaineering at the levels he has achieved requires many resources. The climber from Skardu has demonstrated just how much potential we have in the country. Just months ago, two female skiers from the Northern Areas won gold and silver medals in the South Asian Winter Games and this also demonstrated the skill that often lies hidden and unexplored in our people. The need is to develop such skill and, by doing so, encourage our young people to take up new challenges. The Alpine Club of Pakistan, which launched Sadpara’s expedition, also needs to be applauded. We must hope the climber will get the recognition he deserves and that his act will inspire others, who can remind the world that Pakistan deserves a place on the globe that is not linked to terrorism or other violent events which too often make headlines around the world. The media must take a lead in this and help Pakistanis everywhere to see themselves in a more positive light than is currently the case. This would be good for all of us.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 15^th, 2011.

In-camera session: 

ISI chief shot back at ‘favour-seeking’ Nisar

Though he spent a large chunk of the marathon session on the back foot, besieged by politicians, the chief of Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency did come out of his shell to silence fiery Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.

Details of Friday’s closed-door session of a special joint sitting of Parliament continue to trickle out – with some interesting nuggets of information being narrated to The Express Tribune regarding an exchange between Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt-Gen Ahmad Shuja Pasha and Chaudhry Nisar.

Reported yesterday was a fiery speech by Nisar against the military establishment – but it emerged, through fresh information, that the DG ISI did not just stand there and take the tirade.

Pasha, who has been at the receiving end of a number of fiery speeches by the PML-N leader over the last few weeks, is said to have shocked Nisar by replying in the same token.

Nisar is said to have risen out of his seat for his speech right as the question and answer session was to begin. But a “visibly angry” Pasha snubbed Nisar in front of a full house.

Pasha claimed that he ‘knew’ why he was being targeted by the leader of the opposition as of late – alleging that Nisar had asked him for a personal favour, which he, as DG ISI, refused to extend.

Since then, said Pasha, Nisar had launched a number of tirades against him in particular and the military in general. However, Pasha said he would not reveal what the favour was on the floor of the august house – but would if asked outside.

An embarrassed Chaudhry Nisar was said to have been taken aback as Pasha continued with his ‘counter-attack’. The DG ISI kept on grilling Nisar, asking the PML-N leader if he knew what the effects of his recent tirades had been. Pasha told the house that on a recent trip to the US he was told by CIA chief Leon Panetta in an important meeting: ‘Look, General Pasha – how can we trust you when your own country’s opposition leader is saying that you cannot be believed?’

Pasha said that, despite having answers to all questions during that session, he did not have an answer to that question by the CIA chief.

“What should I tell the Americans?” the DG ISI asked in a bitter tone, addressing all the parliamentarians.

Pasha’s frustration seemed to be born out of an awkward moment. Pasha, besieged by the politicians, had offered to resign – and upon this offer, some members from the opposition benches shouted, “Please accept his resignation.”

The tension grew palpably when Pasha finished his counterattack. It was expected that Chaudhry Nisar, known for his hard stance and fiery speeches, would retaliate and at least refute the wild charges. But he remained seated.

It got worse for Nisar when his fellow party member, Javed Hashmi, who spent five years in jail during the Musharraf regime, got up to shower praise on the army

Interestingly enough, Chaudhry Nisar later praised the efforts of the generals.

A reality check

Lt-Gen Pasha was not the only serviceman to have his moment.

Pakistan’s deputy air chief was said to have deflated the prevalent nationalistic fervor in an emotionally-charged house as the parliamentarians were discussing the prospects of shooting down trespassing US drones.

The deputy air chief had been bombarded with constant questions by charged politicians whether or not the Pakistan Air Force was capable of shooting down intruding unmanned US aircraft.

Finally, the deputy air chief interjected: They have the capability of doing so, if asked. But, the leaders should understand the repercussions before debating this, such as a US attack.

After this analysis, when deputy air chief sought the permission of the parliamentarians to shoot USA drones, he found no takers. Sources said that, afterwards, the parliamentarians did not press the issue of shooting down drones.

CIA agents in our midst

The DG ISI also claimed in the session that the CIA was paying many important Pakistanis to protect their interests – and that the ISI had all the details of these people. However, sources said, Pasha did not identify anyone.

Where was the army chief?

There was no news of what Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani was doing during the session. According to sources in attendance, the army chief was not asked a single question by charged parliamentarians during the marathon session.

However, given the length of the session, Gen Kayani, known to be a chain smoker, was seen heading to the exits at regular intervals for a quick smoke.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 15^th, 2011.