Opposition slams govt for not including it in panel on conflict with India

ISLAMABAD: The ruling coalition Monday came under fire in the Senate for overlooking the opposition in its committee formed to explain Pakistan’s perspective abroad on recent Pak-India conflict while the dangers still lurk.

At the very outset, Leader of Opposition and senior leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Syed Shibli Faraz on a point of public importance raised the matter and said after the Indian aggression, the entire nation stood up while ‘our people were martyred and our water was stopped’.

He said the government had formed a committee whose aim was to tell the world Pakistan’s perspective, but unfortunately this committee did not include any member of the PTI or the opposition.

“The government has shown great narrow-mindedness and short-sightedness; it is regrettable not to include the opposition in this committee. We have been sidelined on the important national issue and the government has set a precedent,” he charged.

Shibli pointed out that on the contrary, the Indian government included representatives of the Congress in the committee, but all those who formed the committee in the country were elected illegally and illegitimately.

He wondered how will these people will go out and run the diplomatic onslaught aggressively and fight Pakistan’s case. He insisted that they were the genuine and real representatives of the people and their party had emerged as the largest party but ‘converted’ into opposition. Opposition leader said that to serve the country, the opposition will form its own committee and send its representatives abroad at its own expense.

“We are still in danger from India while the government is focused on its own. Then how will their committee be effective?” he remarked. He tauntingly thanked the government for not including the opposition members in the committee and said had they included the genuine ones, the fake ones and the real ones could have mixed up.

“If you think this is a national issue, then take the entire nation along and don’t isolate the opposition and desist from hurting the country’s interests in personal grudge,” he contended. “The best weapon is used in a war and the best weapon is Imran Khan, who is known all over the world so is his party,” he claimed.

He also urged the government not to include names of those lawmakers in the ECL, who the opposition will send abroad to serve Pak interest. Responding to him, Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar explained that only government people were included in the government delegation. There are such traditions and examples in history. He lauded the opposition for demonstrating unity and solidarity in the testing times recently.

The House also adopted a landmark bill, which seeks to criminalise child marriages amidst strong opposition from JUI (F) and ANP.

The piece of legislation aims at curbing, discouraging and eventually eradication of the concept and phenomenon of child marriages. The bill, moved in the House by PPP parliamentary leader Sherry Rehman, has already been passed by the National Assembly where it was introduced by the party’s lawmaker Sharmila Farooqui.

ANP supremo Aimal Wali Khan rose to emphasise that the legislation should be made to prevent forced marriages and contended that the Western world must not be followed.

However, the plea for referring the bill to CII was rejected by a majority vote before the bill was passed, and once the bill becomes an act, it will be implemented in the federal capital and no court other than that of the district and sessions judge shall take cognizance of or try any offence under it.

The bill will become an act of the parliament after its formal assent by the president. The bill says no Nikah registrar shall register a marriage where one or both the contracting parties are below the age of 18 years, and any person solemnising Nikah must ensure that the contracting parties possess valid Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs) duly issued by the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra), clearly showing their respective dates of birth.

According to the bill, whoever contravened with or failed to comply with sub-section (1) and (2) shall be liable to be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which shall not be more than one year and with fine amounting to Rs100,000, or both, unless he proved that he had reason to believe that the marriage was not a child marriage.

Earlier, Senator Kamran Murtaza of JUI-Fazl from Balochistan on a point of public importance, raised alarm over the alleged kidnapping of ex-general Secretary Bar Council Attaullah Baloch on the night of May 18. He made some allegations, which were later, expunged by the chair.

He said advocacy was a sacred profession, but it was insulted by this move. Senator Anwaarul Haq Kakar responded that Senator Kamran Murtaza himself became jury and a judge and is saying that ‘certain forces’ are involved in the kidnapping. He strongly condemned this statement.

Then both had heated exchange of hot words with their mikes off and the chair repeatedly asking them to ensure order in the House and address the chair. It was a private members day, former chairman Senate Senator Farooq H Naek presented the Legal Practitioners and Bar Counselor Amendment Bill 2025, which was referred to the Standing Committee concerned.

Opposition Leader Senator Shibli Faraz alleged presenting the bill with the bar elections due in November was malicious and its purpose was to exclude young lawyers. Senator Saifullah Abro also criticized the proposed legislation and believed this bill was unnecessary, as there was no justification for presenting it.

The bill was later referred to the House standing committee concerned for deliberations and report. Senator Zeeshan Khanzada presented the Amendment Bill 2025 to Article 228 of the Constitution, which was referred to the Standing Committee and so was the case of Senator Afnanullah Khan’s the Prohibition of Indecent Advertisements Amendment Bill 2025.

The House passed nine bills, including “The Trade Organizations (Second Amendment) Bill, 2025” , “The Islamabad Capital Territory Child Marriage Restraint Bill, 2025”,” “The Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) (Amendment) Bill, 2023”, “The University of Innovation and Technology Bill, 2023”, “The Provincial Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2024”, “The National Highways Safety (Amendment) Bill, 2024”, “The China Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2022”, “The Provincial Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2023” and “The Pakistan Names and the Emblems (Prevention of Un-authorized Use) (Amendment) Bill, 2023”. The Senate will now meet again on Thursday morning at 10:30m.