ISLAMABAD: A lawmaker of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has called for action against Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed as the voice against terror groups in Pakistan begins to grow stronger. Rana Muhammad Afzal questioned the government's failure to act against Saeed, the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba. "Which egg is Hafiz Saeed laying for us that we are nurturing him," he asked in a meeting of the standing committee on foreign affairs.
He questioned the country's foreign policy, and said it had become such that "we have not been able to get rid of Hafiz Saeed so far." Afzal mentioned New Delhi, saying it has created such a worldwide impression about the terrorist, "that during the meetings on Kashmir, foreign delegates mention Hafiz Saeed as the bone of contention between Pakistan and India." He said Pak needed to be freed of such elements that have "led the world to start isolating us and trying to declare a terrorist state." The MP talked about his trip to France where he had gone on a diplomatic mission to make Paris aware about alleged atrocities committed by Indian security forces in Jammu and Kashmir. But Saeed was "brought up time and again" during his meetings.
Opposition Pakistan People's Party leader Aitzaz Ahsan told a joint session of Parliament that the country was diplomatically isolated because it gives freedom to non-state actors. "The government has been completely unsuccessful in imposing restriction on non-state actors according to the National Action Plan," he was quoted as saying. "I don't want instability in any country, as the blame of that will then fall on us because of these non-state actors. Then Bangladesh and Afghanistan will not speak to you, and then Bhutan and Nepal will begin supporting India. You have isolated Pakistan," Ahsan said blaming PM Nawaz Sharif.
A media report suggests that the Pakistan military has been asked not to "interfere" in action against militant groups considered "off limits" drove a rift between the government and the army brass.
