After some delay, the government has set up a commission to investigate the US operation against Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad; the joint parliamentary resolution calling for establishing such a body was issued on May 14. Despite the wait, however, some positive developments must be noted. First the mandate of the commission includes investigating Bin Laden`s presence in Pakistan. This intelligence failure and source of national embarrassment had been left out of the resolution, which had asked only for an investigation into the operation. Given international and domestic condemnation of the presence of the world`s most wanted terrorist in a Pakistani garrison town, and especially given questions about whether it indicated complicity rather than incompetence on the part of Pakistan`s security establishment, the inclusion of this point in the mandate is an important step forward.
Second, the commission largely consists of well-respected figures, which would help make its conclusions credible at home and abroad. It is disappointing, however, that the opposition was apparently not consulted, a point underscored by the reservations of one senior nominee. Not taking everyone on board, including, it appears, some of the nominees themselves, will result in a wasted effort arising from the government`s mishandling of the situation.
The success of the commission now depends on the extent to which it can conduct its investigation unhampered and in an impartial manner. Bin Laden`s presence, the foreign operation against him and the incidents of terrorism, especially the attack on PNS Mehran, that have followed have left Pakistanis deeply insecure. More disturbing has been the lack of answers about the intelligence and security lapses. Anxiety about the recent course of events is only heightened when combined with the public`s lack of information, and private briefings and conflicting statements fixing responsibility for the PNS Mehran attack have not helped. Answers are needed about how and why Pakistan has become a safe haven for terrorists and is lurching from one devastating attack to another. Even within its mandate to address one particular situation, the commission can do much to provide some clarity — if a consensus on its composition is evolved and it is allowed to operate independently.
Editorial, Dawn (Islamabad), June 2, 2011, http://www.dawn.com/2011/06/02/bin-laden-commission.html
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