Top political leaders blast PM for defaming army

Senior political leaders and leading lawyers say Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani’s outburst against the armed forces is simply aimed at escaping from an investigation into the memogate scandal.Constitutional expert Barrister Khalid Anwar said that the army, for the first time in Pakistan’s history, has submitted an affidavit in the Supreme Court, narrating its position on the memo’s reality and submitted to the authority of the highest judicial forum. He said that the army chief acted exactly in compliance with the Constitution.Politicians said Gilani himself gave extensions to the top army brass and declared a few days ago that all institutions, including the army were under him and were pro-democracy.“Gilani’s attacks on the armed forces, even going to extent of accusing national institutions of harbouring Osama Bin Laden or being responsible for issuing visa to him is simply an attempt to save his government and others from being investigated in the memogate,” they said. Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf Chairman Imran Khan stated that it was strange that when the government was caught red handed in the memogate, it started crying and declared that democracy was under threat.He said that the government should face the investigation, and its tactics to evade it would not work. He said that Gilani’s attack was a ploy to pressurise the Supreme Court, which was currently hearing the memo case.Former Jamaat-e-Islami chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad said that Americans themselves brought OBL in this region and were responsible for issuing him “visa.”He said the prime minister unsuccessfully tried to divert the attention from the real issue and subject of memo scandal by making baseless allegations against the army. “There is only one issue in which the nation wants fair and impartial investigation.”Ahmad said that it was very unfortunate that just to save himself from the probe, Gilani maligned institutions and the State before the whole world.Senior Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) leader Tariq Azeem said that there was no doubt the prime minister’s outburst against the Pakistan Army was an attempt to escape the investigation.