Fate of Abbottabad Commission hangs in balance

ISLAMABAD - The fate of the Independent Commission set up by Prime Minister to probe the May 2 Abbottabad raid hangs in the balance after one of five members of the proposed body Fakharuddin G Ibrahim declined to be part of it. 'It remains in doldrums. There have no steps taken by the government either to dissolve it or complete it in line with the unanimous resolution of the Parliament, sources privy to these developments told The Nation on Sunday. Sources said that PPP-led ruing coalition was in a fix about future of the commission after PML-N rejected it on the grounds that government failed to follow the procedure while constituting the five-member commission. Sources that the commission has not met so far despite notification of the Chairman of the Commission apex courts senior judge Justice Javed Iqbal and other three members including Lt Gen (Retd) Nadeem Ahmed, Jehangir Ashraf Qazi and Abbas Khan. 'There is great amount of confusion that is hindering its functioning, a source said, adding, it is still unclear about the fate of the commission as there has been no announcement made by the government in removing confusion pertaining to its future. Although all the four nominees have agreed to join the commission with national spirit, there was still no clear direction set by the government about its fate and function. Despite repeated efforts the nominated Secretary of the Commission, Nargis Sethi was not available for her input about the future of this Commission. On Friday, Supreme Courts senior-most judge Justice Javed Iqbal said that he had received the notification regarding setting up a commission to probe the Abbottabad incident and he would work as its head. Talking to mediamen at the Supreme Court building, he said I have received the notification and now we are to work. The Prime Minister had announced constitution of a five-member Commission headed by Justice Javed Iqbal and including Fakharuddin G Ebrahim, prominent jurist, Lt-Gen (retd) Nadeem Ahmed, Abbas Khan, a former inspector-general of police, and Ashraf Jahangir Qazi, a former ambassador. Fakharuddin G Ebrahim, however, few days back had expressed his inability to work as a member. The Commission is supposed to investigate the May 2 US operation in Abbottabad in which Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was killed. It has been constituted on the basis of a joint resolution adopted by the Parliament on May 14.

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