• After the Army Chief’s order to abolish chain of Command, no aggressor would dare cross Pakistani border: Nawa-e-Waqt
• If Pakistan stops taking aid from the US, it cannot dictate its terms: Ausaf
• The Supreme Court commission to probe memogate should bring truth before the nation: Jang

After the Army Chief’s order to abolish chain of Command, no aggressor would dare cross Pakistani border: Nawa-e-Waqt

Editorial (excerpts) December 3, 2011
Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani has issued order to the troops deployed along the Afghan border to deal with cross border attacks. In this order, he has stated that in the event of external aggression, they should utilize all the available resources to repel the aggression. The COAS has abolished the chain of command.

There is no doubt that in the case of aggression, the best judge to decide the course of action should be the forces deployed on the border. If they wait for an order from the (civilian) authority, then there shall be no time left to retaliate and in this case, the enemy would prevail upon the forces.

In the wake of May 2 Abbottabad Operation, Pakistan should have taken similar steps. Had the forces been given the right to initiate action on its own, this NATO strike could have been averted.

The PPP considers all the other institutions such as judiciary and military its rival. Statements from different PPP senior leaders suggest that against the military they are in a confrontationist mode. In this context, the decision to authorize the troops deployed at the borders is in interest of the national security. Now be it the US or India, they would think a hundred times before crossing into the Pakistani territory. The nation stands shoulder to shoulder with the Pakistan Army.
http://www.nawaiwaqt.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-urdu-online/Op...

If Pakistan stops taking aid from the US, it cannot dictate its terms: Ausaf

Editorial (excerpts) December 4, 2011
Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that if the government and the military nullify all the secret agreements with the US, he is ready to cooperate with the government. This is a welcome statement in the greater national interest. But we think that all the agreements with the US are conditioned with financial assistance. If we stop receiving money, all the agreements would cease to exist. In our opinion, if Nawaz Sharif wishes for a bigger role in national polity, he should try to call together all the leaders of the political parties, President, Prime Minister and the Army Chief. They should collectively take oath that anyone who comes to power would decline any aid coming from the US and the military would buy no defence equipment from the US and instead seek them from China. If Pakistan stops taking aid from the US, we do not have to do anything against our wishes and we could get rid of this curse.
http://www.dailyausaf.com/news/id/73452/

The Supreme Court commission to probe memogate should bring truth before the nation: Jang

Editorial (excerpts), December 3, 2011
After hearing appeals pertaining to Memogate Scandal, the Supreme Court has issued notices to all the parties and has sought their response within 15 days. The Supreme Court has put Haqqani on the Exit Control List (ECL) and has appointed Tariq Khosa as the chairman of the Investigating Commission. The court has also issued letters to the concerned embassies to cooperate in the probe.

There is no doubt that Memoscandal is an extraordinary case and it is important to know what was behind it. If there is an iota of truth then there is a clear indication that it was used in order to surrender national security, independence, autonomy to India and the US’s supremacy. In some cases, the Memo talks about appointing chiefs of sensitive institutions as per the wishes of external powers. These issues pertaining to national security should not be brushed aside. Instead of handing over the issue to parliamentary committee, the government should have constituted a judicial commission on its own. Presenting this serious issue to a parliamentary committee created doubts in the minds of the people. Now it is an encouraging fact that a leader of a major political party took this issue to the Supreme Court and taking an immediate step, the court constituted an investigative commission. Now it is the responsibility of entire nation, all political and religious parties to wait for a decision of the apex court. It is our firm belief that the commission will bring truth before the nation. The parliamentary commission set up to discuss this issue should also share its findings with the Supreme Court, says the editorial.
http://jang.com.pk/jang/nov2011-daily/03-12-2011/idaria.htm

Translated and complied by Shamshad A. Khan and Amit Julka, Research Assistant and Research Intern respectively at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi.