ECL amend bill moved in Senate

ISLAMABAD: PPP Senator Raza Rabbani on Monday moved a bill in the Senate regarding Exit from Pakistan (Control) Amendment Bill, 2018.

It provides that the government shall specify the grounds on which the order was proposed to be made and shall communicate such grounds within 24 hours of the making of the order to the person or class of persons prohibited.

The bill was referred to the House committees concerned. “The government shall decide the representation made within 15 days failing which the order made shall lapse. The statement of objects and reasons of the bill says the provisions of the Exit from Pakistan (Control) Ordinance, 1981, are in conflict with the fundamental rights conferred by the Constitution. The proposed amendments bring in harmony the provisions of the ordinance with the Constitution and are based on the observations of the superior courts,” Rabbani explained.

A proposed piece of legislation to make it binding upon governments to place agreements, treaties and contacts with other countries, donors and international monetary bodies before the parliament for ratification was moved in the Senate by Mian Raza Rabbani on Monday and referred to the committee concerned for consideration and report.

In all, as many as 13 bills were tabled in the House and referred to the committees concerned for deliberations and report, as it was a private members day.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who did not oppose the bill, introduced by former chairman Senate Mian Raza Rabbani, however, said that when the joint House committee takes up the bill, a representation from his ministry might also be invited to the meeting. He also contended that there was no uniformed practice with regards to this matter in other countries and added previously, the bill was discussed by the National Assembly and then deliberated in the House standing committee, where the Foreign Office had expressed reservations.

The minister said that he was informed by the ministry that such agreements and treaties were processed through lengthy discussions and consensus evolved. “There are certain technicalities, which may not be in the mind of the parliament while considering the same and this can lead to confusion and uncertainty,” he argued.

Qureshi said although he principally had no objections against the bill, there was no uniform practice around the world regarding ratification of agreements and treaties by the parliament. “Many countries do not get agreements ratified by the lawmakers.” A method of review should be devised that doesn’t become a hindrance in the signing of agreements,” he said.

Opposition Leader in the Senate Raja Zafarul Haq supported the PPP senator bill, saying matters like foreign agreements should not be confined to the executive and that the parliament should have a say in them.

The bill: The “Ratification of Foreign Agreements by Parliament Bill, 2018” provides that various economic and other agreements signed by the treaties, contacts and trade protocols signed with other countries or banks, donors or lending agencies by the government be ratified by the Parliament. “Ratification means, it be passed a simple majority of each House,” the bill says.

Rabbani explained that the government would place a foreign agreement, contract or protocol to be signed with any country before both the Houses of the Parliament to seek approval of its draft within 15 days of its finalisation.

He pointed out it was a practice in several countries that all agreements were ratified by the parliament, adding the legislation would bind a government to present in the legislatures, all agreements, on which it had negotiated with foreign nations or bodies.

He explained the proposed legislation also provided that within 15 days, either House shall pass the agreement or make recommendations to the relevant ministry/ division. “If the agreement is not passed within 15 days by the legislature, it shall be deemed that the Parliament had ratified it,” he noted. The bill was referred to the joint committee of four ministries.

His third bill is The Banking Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2018, which seeks to delete section 27B that places fetters on the functioning of trade unions in banking organisations. The fourth bill: The SBP Banking Services Cooperation Ordinance (Repeal) Bill, 2018 provides that once the State Banking Services Cooperation Ordinance, 2001, is repealed, all employees shall stand reversed to the SBP on the same terms and conditions and seeks their notifications.

PPP Parliamentary Leader in the Senate, Senator Sherry Rehman, on Monday also submitted two labour-related bills in the House, seeking to amend the Board of Investment Ordinance 2001 and the Foreign Private Investment (Promotion and Protection) Act 1976.

Speaking on the floor of the House, Senator Sherry said, “we have the 10th largest labour force with nearly 1.5 million people entering it annually yet there seems to be no concrete plan in place for them. With the projected surge of FDI in Pakistan, it is mandatory to enact these laws. The government should have done this much sooner”.

She explained, “the first bill is an amendment to the Foreign Private Investment (Promotion and Protection) Act 1976 which aims to set a quota seeking to guarantee that foreign investors hire at least 60 per cent of local labour for their projects from the particular province of its operations. This is not uncommon practice as many countries have similar laws such as Vietnam, India, Malaysia, Iraq and Indonesia to name a few”.

“The second bill is an amendment to the Board of Investment Ordinance 2001 which calls for mapping labour expertise, capacity, training and experience in one database categorized by provinces. There is no such data in Pakistan. This data will be available for employers, to aid with matching skilled workers with job openings available or creating employment opportunities,” she noted.

Prime Minister Imran Khan came under fire in the Senate for allegedly ‘washing the dirty linen in China’ and his government was also slammed for ‘botched’ handling of the recent sit-in by Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan.

The House witnessed exchange of hot words and allegations, mainly between PML-N Senator Mushahidullah Khan and PTI Senator Nauman Wazir Khattak for the sorry of state of affairs in Pakistan and the poor economic condition.

At one time, Chairman Senate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani, repeatedly urged both sides to show restraint and he also expunged ‘insults’ and also afterwards gave ruling, barring the media, both print and electronic not to report, which was expunged by the chair.

Taking part in the ongoing debate on the four-point agenda, filed by the opposition, for requisition of the last session, PPP Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar charged that the rulers were doing completely against what they had been saying before coming to power.

Referring to TLP, he pointed out that a registered political party crossed the red line. “Are we going to continue tolerating a political party which talks openly about creating anarchy in the country? The Constitution calls for the suspension of a party’s membership if it talks against the country’s sovereignty,” he said.

Senator Khokhar said a religious party’s top leadership called the SC judges liable to be killed and openly incited mutiny against the military and called the leadership Jew. He noted that Article 17 (2) of the Constitution clearly states that if a political party undermined Pakistan’s sovereignty and integrity, the government would send a declaration against it and the apex court would decide it within 15 days.

The legislator asked what the relevant clause of the Constitution stood for, if a registered party talked about spreading anarchy in the country. “If this article is not of any use, then please strike it out of the Constitution,” he asserted.

Then, he pointed out that the Election Act, 2017 also had sections, which say that if a party registered with it, indulged in undermining the country’s sovereignty and integrity and wanted ‘jalao gherao’, would be de-registered by the Election Commission of Pakistan.

Here in the Senate too, he said senators from religious parties, strongly talked about the conduct of the SC judges and their judgement in the blasphemy case against Aasia Bibi, saying justice was not done, as the two lower courts had called for her hanging while the apex court set her free.

Senator Khokhar wondered, had they not gone through the judgement, which referred to contradictions and lacunas in the earlier judgements, which went to the benefit of the accused.

He regretted that interior minister laid all the blame for this situation on the opposition, which was stood by it. PTI Senator Nauman Khattak said that the interior minister needed to be applauded for handling the issue tactfully and challenged the opposition to explain, how should have it handled the sit-in.

Later, PML-N Senator Mushahidullah came hard on the government for what he alleged its incompetence and ‘begging’ from abroad. He questioned the calling of begging the government’s achievement. He questioned the logic behind Prime Minister making tall claims before leaving for begging loans and inviting investors to Pakistan while talking about ‘rampant corruption’ here.

He flayed the prime minister for talking about corruption in Pakistan during his China trip, saying even a dictator won’t say that about his country abroad. “You were washing the dirty linen of Pakistan abroad. It was painful,” he said.

Mushahidullah alleged the ruling party was merely reaping what it had sowed while it was in opposition. He recalled that the last time when such protests had taken place, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari had participated in the sit-in. “The government leaders had also exploited the issue to gain votes, he charged.

Senator Mushahidullah said, “they say the three-day [TLP] sit-in resulted in a loss of Rs50 billion per day... why don’t they multiply Rs50 billion with 126 days?” he said, in a reference to the 126-day sit-in staged by the PTI in 2014. He asked, “why didn’t you think at that time that this was causing loss to the country and people?”

He contended that the government was mum and preferred not to speak on the reports of arrival of an Israeli plane and whether or not Aasia Bibi was in Pakistan and after it was revealed that Prime Minister’s sister Aleema Khan had accepted having property worth Rs67 billion abroad. “The government will not move on like this,” he asserted.

PTI Senators Nauman Wazir Khattak and Mohsin Aziz defended the government policies and asked the government to share what planning they had to wriggle the country out of the economic and financial mess. “You can’t mislead people by cutting jokes. You even tried to destroy the army, the only institution still surviving,” Aziz said. Khattak said the previous governments had no plans to put the state institutions on track and referred to Rs1300 billion losses in power sector, claiming it was in fact power theft.

Minister of State for Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs Hammad Azhar said in the Senate that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) collected data of 96,000 resident Pakistanis having bank accounts in 27 countries, while data from 13 countries was being collected.

About the recent visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to China and the package to be received, he said that modalities were being finalised with China. He added the House would be duly informed about once it was done. He said that the government had overcome the balance of payment issue, which it had to face on assuming power.

Winding up the debate, the minister informed the House about the steps taken by the government on different issues, especially regarding the economy, he categorically said that if found involved in stashing national wealth abroad through illegal channels, strict legal action would be taken against all the foreign account holders.

The minister said that the government was committed to the institutional development of FBR and that all possible measures were being taken to enhance the capacity of FBR to collect revenue and make it an agency, which provides fair and just treatment to the taxpayers.

The minister pointed out that the government had so far faced a loss of Rs20 billion for not increasing the POL prices despite increase of oil price in international market and depreciation of rupee.

About borrowing, he said that the total borrowing, during this financial year, was dollars 400 million, of which dollars 200 million was borrowed by this government, while the remaining amount was borrowed by the caretakers.

Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Ghulam Sarwar Khan said that new petroleum policy would soon be announced after taking all the provinces into confidence.

Speaking in the House on recent gas price hike, he said that previous government had given gas exploration licenses in thousands but not a single exploration was carried out for the much trumpeted liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The minister said that the Sui Southern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) – the most profitable companies, which never faced any loss – were facing a loss of Rs158 billion, which he insisted was the ‘achievement’ the previous left behind.

In such a situation, he said that the government had no option but to increase the gas prices, while keeping in view the poor consumer should not be burdened.

“We have given an in-camera briefing to Senate standing committee where we briefed what the previous government did with the gas and oil sector. It gave a petroleum policy but kept the provinces in complete dark, besides halting the explorations for complete five years,” he alleged.