Foreign Office missing in COAS briefing

ISLAMABAD: There will be no representation from the Foreign Office when Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa takes the Senate's Committee of the Whole into confidence on the security situation today.

Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif is presently in New York on a private visit, while the program of Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua shows that she is not expected to attend. “But one never knows with these high-profile meetings, and a last minute request could be received by the Foreign Secretary’s office”, says an official. For the first time the representatives of the people will be briefed by Gen Bajwa and Director General Military Operations (DGMO) Maj Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza, on amongst other issues, the highly sought after Terms of Reference (ToRs) of the Saudi-led Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC), which has so far being kept extremely confidential. Neither the cabinet nor Parliament has so far authorized the government to take part in any form of military action on the ground in any foreign country against terrorism.

The opposition senators repeatedly asked for details of the ToRs but the treasury benches failed to provide answers. It is highly likely that after the Bajwa-Mirza briefing a debate would be allowed in the Senate on the IMCTC, resulting in recommendations which would also form a guideline for the cabinet which would then give a green signal to the government, including the armed forces, to agree to the ToRs. Of late there have been loud voices heard in the Senate, where impatient members had questioned the ministers about the details of Pakistan joining the IMCTC and to share with Parliament an issue of great importance. A helpless Chairman Senate, Mian Raza Rabbani during a Senate session even backed out of demanding answers regarding the IMCTC saying he did not want to end up as a “missing person”. Earlier PPP’s Senator Farhatullah Babar instead of agreeing to visit GHQ for a briefing on security issues had resigned from the Senate’s Standing Committee on Defence.

Last week, he said it was frightening that both the Foreign Office and Parliament were in dark about the ToRs of Islamic Military Alliance, even three weeks after it was formally launched in Riyadh and defence ministers of member countries met to finalize its strategy and future plans. One of the reasons that saw senators from the opposition benches agitating was also because they had been assured earlier by the former Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz that, “The government remains committed to taking Parliament into confidence prior to ratification of any such ToRs or mechanisms. Pakistan’s policy on this matter is as per guidelines of Parliament on April 10, 2015.” In April Parliament had disallowed Pakistani troops from going to Yemen to fight alongside Saudi Arabia. As a Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif had also told the Senate that the government would quit the Saudi-led Islamic coalition if they were to be used against any Muslim country including Iran.

“Pakistan does not wish to be part of any sectarian alliance. Our efforts have been and will be geared towards eradicating militancy,” he had added. But as foreign minister he had kept mum. Sources in the Foreign Office say that the foreign minister was expected to share the information with his foreign secretary on his return from Saudi Arabia where he accompanied Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to participate in the meeting of IMCTC.

He had also accompanied the prime minister together with the COAS. Of importance is the fact that officials at the Foreign Office have not been allowed to share the details arrived at in Saudi Arabia with the media. Time and again when questioned by The News, the Foreign Office spokesman responded, “I have asked the authorities for more details on this issue, and will respond once I receive the details. This information is being gathered”. He genuinely sounded as if the information was not in his knowledge and was getting embarrassed while responding to the media.

Either the foreign secretary did not share this information with her subordinates or else there were strict instructions not to brief the media. Pakistan says it has so far assured the IMCTC that it is ready to share its experience and capabilities in all four main domains of counter-terrorism i.e. intellectual, information, counter-financing of terrorism and military, through the forum of the IMCTC, which was aimed at enhancing the ability of its member states to counter the scourge of terrorism and extremism, upon their request.

However, the statement does not give details as to what exact role the Pakistan Army will play while mentioning “military”, amongst the “four domains” and what is contained in Terms of Reference (ToRs), especially now that Pakistan has formally joined the coalition. Tuesday should be a day for answers from the horse’s mouth.