Parliament hails BDF patriotic role

Manama, Apr. 10(BNA): The Parliamentary Committee for Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Security commended the patriotic role of the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) and its brave servicemen in defending the national security. It commended the sacrifices and patriotic efforts exerted by the BDF and brave servicemen ever since it was first established. It hailed the BDF participation in the Saudi-led Arab Alliance to reinstate legitimacy in Yemen. In a statement issued tonight, it described any attempt to question the BDF patriotic role and sacrifices as being unacceptable. The statement strongly criticized the column written by a journalist in a local newspaper, directly targeting the BDF and questioning Bahrain’s participation in the military operations led by the Arab Alliance in support of the legitimate rule in Yemen. Parliamentary Committee for Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Security said that the column harms Bahrain’s external relations with the brotherly Arabian Gulf countries. It slammed the writer’s column that targets the armed forces which are taking part in defending the Saudi territories and the GCC countries in confronting the Iranian expansion in the south of the Arabian Peninsula. "An opinion writer is supposed to be the first to support our brave servicemen in Yemen, instead of casting doubts on their patriotic role and duty", the committee said. "It appears that there are suspicious media agenda serving external parties inside Bahrain", the statement said, adding that those who serve these media agenda inside Bahrain question the policies and stances of the Kingdom as well as state institutions, particularly the national army, long known for its patriotic role. "We know well the agenda of the writer as well as his suspicious ties with the Qatar-supported terrorist Muslim Brotherhood", said the statement. It recalled the stances of the writer who appeared on Aljazeera channel to defend staunchly the Muslim Brotherhood regime in Egypt and incite on unrest and revolution. The committee urged the Public Prosecution and other competent authorities to take decisive measures against any attempt to target Bahrain’s military or question the credibility of its participation in the operations conducted by the Arab Alliance in Yemen. "Freedom of opinion and expression, which is guaranteed by the constitution, does not mean defaming persons or institutions", the statement said, adding that freedom is regulated by the law in the Bahrain. The committee said the columnist is no different than Nabeel Rajab who targeted the BDF "spreading lies and rumors at wart time and defamed brotherly countries as well as the Ministry of Interior. The committee said the Council of Representatives would assume its role in confronting all those who defame the state and its official institutions or harm the Kingdom’s external relations.