PRIME Minister Yousuf Reza Gilani is right in asking COAS to give in camera briefing to Senate over the security situation in tribal areas. His assertion that the army chief needed to take the legislators into confidence regarding the military operation in troubled parts of the country cannot be questioned; rather welcomed. The army's top brass bolstered by General Musharraf had gradually distanced itself from the political leadership and some circles within it had begun to assume they were no longer answerable to publics' chosen representatives. But thanks to the able handling of the situation by the Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, that mindset is fast eroding away. His decisions like the one ordering the army men engaged in the civilian sector and holding bureaucratic positions to return to barracks was viewed with much favour. Likewise, he deserves a pat on the back for saying some time back that the army would commit itself only to its professional duties. However, considering the state of affairs on our western front, there are still a number of issues Gen Kayani would have to throw light on. The biggest lingering in the minds of many is certainly about the military operation. Not that everybody opposes it tooth and nail, but one is entitled to ask about the results it has yielded so far. An operation that fails to rein in militancy makes little sense. The statement by the military spokesman the other day that high value targets like Ayman Al Zawahiri along with other hard-core extremist elements had managed to escape into Afghanistan is a case in point. There is no guarantee that they would hold themselves back from attacking us in future, kicking unrest again in the tribal areas once the military has ended its offensive. Likewise, the constantly deteriorating law and order situation in Swat and the tribal bloodletting in Kurram agency that has clamed hundreds of lives so far raises many an eyebrow. However, the most troubling aspect in this fray is military's failure to prevent collateral damage. Reports about civilians, including women and children, getting killed keep pouring in, sending a chill down one's spine. This has resulted in a humanitarian crisis with tens of thousands of people migrating from the conflict zones in search of safer places. The refugee camps have turned out to be the proverbial hell for them as there is severe shortage of food, medicine and other basic supplies. General Kayani would do well to take the leadership into confidence over the above issues. The country must be put back on the rails.