Senate to reaffirm solidarity with families of APS Peshawar martyrs

ISLAMABAD: The Senate meets here tomorrow (Monday) for 122nd session and is likely to adopt a resolution, reaffirming its solidarity with families of martyrs of the Army Public School Peshawar and demanding of the government to continue its struggle for the elimination of terrorism from Pakistan.

To this effect, PPP Senator Sehar Kamran has filed a resolution, which is part of the orders of the day fixed for Monday, being the private members’ day. According to opposition legislators, several members of the Senate will speak on the gory act, which claimed nearly 150 lives on December 16 last year, majority of them were schoolchildren.

“This House calls upon the government to ensure strict implementation of the law disallowing the resurrection of banned outfits under other names,” reads another resolution also on the agenda of the sitting. It has been submitted by another PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar.

Among other issues, senators from the treasury and opposition benches are poised for an exchange of charges and counter-charges on the fate of Rangers-led operation in Karachi with a particular reference to the arrested ex-minister and a close aide of PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari, Dr Asim Hussain.

Opposition sources told The News that unlike the falling temperature outside, the temperature in the Senate is likely to go high on some matters, particularly Dr Asim’s issue.

The Senate is also expected to hold a debate on a motion, filed by Senator Mohsin Aziz of the PTI, ANP’s Ilyas Ahmad Bilour and PPP’s Saeed Ghani and Salim Mandviwala, regarding the award of the LNG Terminal to the Elengy Terminal Pakistan Limited (ETPL) without completing the codal formalities causing a loss of billions of rupees to national exchequer.

PPP Senator Sassui Palijo’s motion, calling for a discussion on the domain and jurisdiction of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) and the situation arising out of non-convening of the meeting of the Council as required under clause (3) of Article 154 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is expected to be taken up for discussion.

MQM Senator Col Syed Tahir Hussain Mashhadi seeks discussion in the House on non-construction of new dams in Pakistan.JUI-F Senator Hafiz Hamdullah’s resolution, listed on the agenda, says “this House recommends that the government should provide gas to the areas in the vicinity of gas fields in the country on priority in pursuance of Article 158 of the Constitution”.

Senator Osman Saifullah Khan has tried to raise his voice in support of the inhabitants of katchi abadis in Islamabad, through a resolution, which says, “this House recommends that the government should provide all the basic facilities to the residents of Kachi Abadis in Islamabad to enable them to live a healthy life with dignity and respect”.

Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party Senators Sardar Muhammad Azam Musakhel AND Muhammad Usman Kakar are concerned about what they claim wrong use of Urdu translation of the name of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in various official documents.