ALTAF HUSSAIN DEMANDS FROM THE PRIME MINISTER AND COAS RESPONSES TO FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS FACING THE NATION

London: August 27, 1998:

The MQM founder leader Altaf Hussain has demanded to know from the Prime Minister and the COAS answers to some fundamental questions presently facing the nation. He said that in the aftermath of the 20^th August missile attack on Afghanistan various contradictory versions about facts and events had come to light and it was necessary that both of them should come on national media to satisfy the people about certain basic questions relating to the defence of the realm and the safety of the people. He said that both these high dignitaries of State had taken oath under the Constitution to defend the motherland, yet, every day new contradictory revelations were coming to the people through the media adding to their psychological misery in realising that their safety and welfare was not in safe hands in times of need. He said that this was a matter of national alarm that the version given by the Government and by the spokesman of the Armed Forces were contradicting each other in important respects. For example, the Armed Forces through its spokesman of ISPR has maintained that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was apprised of the impending attack. However, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif insists that he only came to know about the American Missile Attack after it had occurred. It was the right of the people of Pakistan to know what was the truth in this respect.

Altaf Hussain added that he was not interested in raising an unnecessary national debate on other issues relating to this matter, yet, under the circumstances, it was incumbent upon the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the Chief of Army Staff General Jehangir Karamat and chiefs of other Armed Forces to inform the people of Pakistan the correct position in regard to the following questions:

1- Before the American attack occurred but after its information had reached the Armed Forces what action did they take to defend national territory, airspace and the people of Pakistan?

2- Who permitted the American Government to launch this attack?

3- Does the Constitution or the Army Law contain a provision permitting the use of national territory or airspace for allowing another external power to launch an attack at any country, particularly an Islamic country?

4- Since American missiles were aimed at Khost in Afghanistan, how did one such missile land several hundred kilometres away in Chaghi, where recently Pakistan conducted its atomic tests?

5- After the American missile attack, did the Government or the Armed Forces raise this question before the Security Council of the United Nations by calling an emergency session especially for it?

6- Is it merely the only duty of the Armed Forces to give information of possible attack of this nature to the civil authorities as a post office and do nothing else in the meanwhile to defend the country and its people?

Concluding his statement Altaf Hussain said that he also personally wanted to ask both Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff General Jehangir Karamat to tell the people of the country whether Pakistan was genuinely a sovereign State or was it merely a colony of some powerful foreign country? It is necessary to raise this question since even after the information of the impending nature of this attack had become available why no governmental step was taken and why resort was adopted of merely keeping quiet about it.

Altaf Hussain said that in view of the grave nature of the implications of these questions in respect of the national security of Pakistan MQM Central Co-ordination Committee had constituted a committee of experts to also look into these questions. On receiving their report he will inform the people of Pakistan about the true state of affairs and to identify whether those who have sworn to defend the country are performing their duty or are criminally negligent in doing so.