Babar says disappearance and release of fifth activist is a message to parliament
ISLAMABAD: Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani on Friday voiced concern on kidnapping of citizens, asserting that the lawmakers will not be afraid of anyone.
“Let me make a categorical statement on behalf of parliament that parliament is deaf to any threats from individuals, groups or government functionaries,” he said when PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar claimed that the freeing of the fifth person, who was taken away from Islamabad, was a clear message. Babar, raising the issue of kidnapping of five persons, said that within 36 hours of minister for interior’s statement on the floor of the Senate that the government had nothing to do with these kidnappings, this fifth man went missing and has been released and this was the message, which they had given to parliament.
Chairman Senate also asked Law Minister Zahid Hamid that the minister of state for interior should be conveyed to present a report by Monday on the four missing persons and the latest one.
Zahid Hamid informed the House that the minister of state was directed by the chair to brief the House about the missing persons, but he could not make his way to the Senate due to his commitments.
However, the law minister said that he was informed by his ministry that no formal report had been filed with the police about the latest missing person by his family. But the interior minister had taken notice of the newspaper report thereon and asked the police to remain in touch with his family.
“The mysterious disappearance of civil society activists from Islamabad soon after the Senate taking up the issue and the interior minister's assurance that disappearances will not be allowed is a stark message to the parliament, the interior minister and the civil society that their protests notwithstanding citizens will continue to disappear with impunity. In the native parlance, the message is 'hor chupo’,” remarked Babar, speaking on a point of public importance.
He raised the issue of continued disappearances in the country, lately in Islamabad. “The whisking away of human rights activists and subsequent release within hours of the senate debate is a message that must not be lost on the Senate,” he said.
Babar warned that the situation was getting worse by the day, as already the Supreme Court identified those involved in the disappearance of 28 persons from an internment center in Malakand but nothing happened.
“Mutilated bodies of the mysteriously disappeared have been found dumped in Balochistan. Their relatives have refused to register cases in what is clearly growing distrust and alienation from state and society and the state is not moved,” he noted.
He said that not a single perpetrator involved in enforced disappearances had been held accountable. “It is a wakeup call for the parliament and the nation to address the issue before it is too late,” he said.
PPP senator said that the Senate Committee of the Whole on speedy and inexpensive justice had recently forwarded recommendations to the government: One of the recommendations pertained missing persons that included a draft legislation to bring the state agencies under the ambit of the law.
He said that it had been decided that if the government did not respond on the draft law then the parliamentary leaders would sign the draft legislation and get it passed as a private members bill.
Babar urged the Chairman Senate that since the 60-day period was already over the directions of the Senate in this regard contained in the report on speedy and inexpensive justice be implemented in letter and spirit.
A draft resolution signed by as many as 38 opposition senators was submitted in the Senate Secretariat for disapproval of the National Accountability (Amendment) Ordinance, 2017.
“This House disapproves the National Accountability (Amendment) Ordinance, 2017 (Ordinance No II of 2017),” says the text of the resolution. Law Minister had presented the ordinance in the Senate early this week.
Through a calling attention notice, Senator Mir Kabeer Muhammad Shahi of the National Party raised the issue of recent deaths of five infants, who were administered polio drops in Khyber Agency. He wondered was any probe held and anyone held responsible for these deaths of infants, who had just arrived in this world and forced to die.
He pointed out that among around 196 countries, Pakistan was among three countries, where polio virus still hit kids, besides Afghanistan and Nigeria, while even the poorest nations like Congo, Burundi, Sudan and Ethiopia had overcome this ailment.
The senator from Balochistan decried the fact that on one hand, polio immunisation drives were hampered while on the other, teams for administering polio drops were targeted and kids died of no fault of theirs.
“Though the families of these died kids disallowed postmortem, a medical team was formed, including a Unesco representative, which visited the agency and then established that the drops were properly maintained and were not expired,” claimed Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sheikh Aftab Ahmad while replying on behalf of the minister for national health services.
He said the matter would have become clearer had the postmortem of kids been allowed. He said the authorities were still focused on the matter. The minister never in the past, any such death was reported relating to polio drops. He said the committee report showed that the kids did not die of polio drops.
The minister said that more control was being ensured with regards to polio drop administration and its maintenance. “It means you could not reach at the bottom of the matter. The common thread regarding the deaths was polio drops,” quipped Rabbani. On this, the minister again rose to say that had been these deaths due to drops, the skin colour of kids would have turned black.
The senators thumped desks to welcome a delegation of 17 students and teachers of ABF Loralai.
PPP’s Rubina Khalid said that it should be conveyed to all in clear terms that these deaths were not due to polio drops, as the answer given by the minister was unclear.
Meanwhile, Senate Deputy Chairman Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri of JUI-Fazl said that the ‘war’ (against the God) will continue ‘in the shape of interest-based loans’.
He made this remark during the question hour, when ANP Senator Shahi Syed said that in the Holy Quran, it was clearly mentioned that dealing in interest (sood) tantamount to waging a war against Allah and His Prophet Peace be Upon Him. However, the remark by Haideri brought smiles on the faces of many senators.
To this, Law Minister Zahid Hamid remarked that he would not respond to it, as the matter was before the Supreme Court already.
Replying to a question by BNP-Mengal Senator Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldeni that whether the massive loans obtained so far were not a burden on the national economy, the minister said that the loans were helping in improving the economy and were well within the capacity of it. “The economy is capable of paying them back,” he claimed.
Minister for Science and Technology Rana Tanveer Hussain confirmed to the House that over Rs. 2 billion were outstanding as fee of Pakistan Standard and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) against some sectors and firms, including sugar, cement, black tea and biscuits. “Some industries have mafias, we keep on dodging instead of making payments,” he charged.
Former minister for science and technology and PTI Senator Muhammad Azam Swati had asked this question. Rana Ranveer said that the ministry had gone to a court, which stayed the matter but asked the respondents to deposit the fee in a certain account, which they did not. “And now, we are going for contempt of the court Monday, whereas the respondents now want out of court settlement by paying Rs. 1.8 billion. But we have apprehensions on this,” he noted.
The minister agreed with the senator that had this amount paid three or four years back, it would have further strengthened the authority.
In response to question by PPP’s Ahmad Hassan, Minister for Industries Ghulam Murtaza Jatoi informed the House that the issue of Pakistan Steel Mills was now with the Privatisation Commission, which could lease it out to the suitable interested party.
He confirmed that Chinese and Iranians had evinced interest in the mills. On this, PML-N Senator Ch. Tanvir Khan rose to say that Senate standing committee had visited the mills and it found consensus there that if the four provinces, shared the burden of funding it, the mills could well be run instead of leasing it out or sell-off. “The four provinces can be its share-holders,” he said.
The minister replied that the Privatisation Commission could respond to this. However, he said the mills was still on the privatisation list the commission was working on that. He said that an amount of Rs46.52 billion (Rs19.84 billion principle and Rs26.68 billion as late payment surcharge) was outstanding on account of gas bill against the bills up to November 30, 2016. Presently, he said enough gas was being supplied to keep the ovans and batteries heated.