Islamabad, Aug 27: Major General (Retd) Nasirullah Babar, former Pakistan interior minister and prominent Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader alleged that the Hamoodur Rehman Commission report was passed on to India by Mustufa Khar, former governor and a minister in late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's government.
The report on the fall of Dhaka to India in 1971 was recently published by an Indian monthly and created a lot of criticism in the country against the Musharraf government with the politicians demanding an inquiry on how the report found its way to India.
Denying the impression that the report must have been passed on to India during Nawaz Sharif's tenure in office, Mr Babar said the report was not available with Sharif.
Maj. Gen. Babar said during Bhutto's regime there was a tradition to keep the cabinet, the provincial governors and the chief ministers informed on all important state secrets and new developments through a note. But they were supposed to return the important documents before they left the venue of the cabinet
meeting.
''It was possible that Mr Mustufa Khar did not return the document,'' he added. ''And when Gen. Zia-ul-Haq took over, Khar might have dodged him with a promise to bring some important documents against Bhutto. But he escaped the country and remained in England for many years''.
Gen. Babar said the commission report should have been released, if not for the army which requested Mr Bhutto not to release it as it would tarnish the image of the armed forces. The army officials apprehended that they would face a tough time from the people.
— UNI
