Dr Afridi faces trial for anti-state activities: minister Hamdullah asks whether Afridi is going to be handed over to US

Senate Question-Hour

ISLAMABAD: Senator Hamdullah of the JUI-F asked the government in Senate Tuesday to clarify whether it was going to handover Shakil Afridi, the controversial doctor who is alleged to have helped CIA track down Osama bin Laden through a fake vaccination campaign in Abbottabad, to the United States.

Referring to a recent statement made by Special Assistant to PM on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi, who had said that Pakistan was willing to discuss ways to take the matter forward regarding Shakil Afridi with the new US administration, he questioned, “In which context, Fatemi is saying all this: doesn’t he know the position of the government and the state that he’s a traitor, who compromised the national security and sovereignty.”

“Dr Afridi was arrested and convicted for spying and what he did was to undermine security and sovereignty of the country and he is a traitor and this has been the state of Pakistan and the government’s narrative, but the government says something else for which we want clarification,” he said while speaking on his call attention notice.

He made it clear to the government that handing over a traitor to US was in no way acceptable for whose release, Barrack Obama had also been lobbying. “We freed Raymond Davis, who killed innocent youth in Lahore, and now a Pakistani Raymond Davis is being handed over too and at what price,” he said. He questioned whether there was any demand for release of Dr Afia Siddiqui.

Responding to the notice, Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid said the case of Dr Afridi is pending in the courts.

“Dr Shakil Afridi was working with foreign agencies in violation of local laws. He also greatly harmed the polio vaccination campaign and 50 polio workers have been killed as suspected foreign agents and currently Afridi is under trial,” he added.

The minister said during his visit to US, Fatemi had conveyed to US government that Dr Afridi was going through a due trial, who was involved in anti-state activities.

Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani and senators in the Upper House were surprised to know about the ‘exorbitant’ pay and perks being paid to acting chief executive officer and four other top managers of the crisis-ridden PIA, questioning what exactly had been their utility for the airline against these pay packages.

So much so, after knowing the pay and perks, Senate chairman could not help quipping why not he (Rabbani) and Law Minister Zahid Hamid (lawyer) should also become legal consultants to PIA, as its legal consultant Ahmad Rauf had Rs1.2 million monthly pay besides car and medical facility.

In a written reply, the minister in-charge of the Aviation Division, informed the House that Bernd Hildenbran Eugen, appointed on February 12, 2016 was getting $30,660 salary (over Rs3 million), as acting CEO of PIA, Wing Commander (R) Raheel Ahmad was inducted as executive director HR and Works on August 15, 2016 with monthly pay of Rs1.2 million, Tabassum Abdul Qadir appointed as Director Customer Care on the same date with same salary package and Ch M Azhar Nawaz as chief of Information Technology with salary package of Rs1.1 million. All the five of PIA management members also have the facility of a car and medical.

Rabbani said that it was such a heavy top management whereas contrary to it, the employees of grade-5 and above of the cabin crew were not paid the salary of last month and foreign allowance of the last six months. He wondered how they were running their family affairs and paying school fees of their children. He asked Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sh Aftab Ahmad to get update on this and share with him in his chamber.

Smile was visible on the faces of Rabbani and other senators, when the minister defended induction of intermediate Raheel Ahmad as executive director HR, as PTI Senator Nauman Wazir Khattak wondered how a wing commander, a pilot could have HR experience and know-how.

“It is the experience that counts. Lieutenants with FA qualification become generals. That is why we have appointed these people, as they lead from the front to serve organisations,” the minister said.

He pointed out that the CEO of a company, sitting in an AC office drew Rs2 million for he used his brain, whereas, a labourer outside drew just Rs20,000. 

Senators Tahir Hussain Mashhadi of MQM, also asked a question about the benefits of having highly paid officers in loss-making PIA. PML-N’s Senator Abdul Qayyum called for having a proper pay structure in PIA, noticing the great difference in salaries of PIA staff and these top managers. 

Minister for Commerce Khurram Dastgir Khan to a question by Senator Mashhadi, said that the trade deficit in 2014 was $19.94 billion, which rose to $22.1 billion next year and in 2016, it was recorded at $23.96 billion. He said that trade deficit was not a new phenomenon, it had been persisting for decades. 

He pointed out that massive recession in the global market was one of the major reasons of trade deficit and then he apprised the House of the measures being taken to arrest it, which included offering zero rating in five sectors to exporters and that the free trade agreements with several countries were being reviewed too. He noted that exports had gone up by 6.2 per cent in 2015.

When PML-Functional Senator Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah drew his attention to shifting of sugar mills to cotton-growing areas despite the High Court orders and farmers switching over to growing maize, the minister conceded that the purview of his ministry was limited, though it was in touch with the provinces to ensure that sugar mills are not relocated to cotton-growing areas. He assured the senator that the Ministry would get in touch in this connection with the provinces of Punjab and Sindh, but it was primarily their responsibility.

He also noted that to control contradictions in customs, Pakistan and China were going for electronic data interchange.

He added to further streamline the Afghan Transit Trade, state of the art equipment were being installed at Torkham and Chaman border. He brushed aside the impression that 80 per cent transit trade had been shifted to Iran due to security reasons here. He claimed that the figures of trade in 2014-15 showed transit trade record at $2.55 billion. 

To a question by Senator Shah that while the transit trade potential was painted in dollars over 5 billion by experts, why it was not that much, the minister said that various measures were being taken and that Pakistan had offered a preferential trade agreement to Afghanistan, but got no response from the other side. 

Senator Nauman disputed a statement by Sh. Aftab that PPRA rules were followed and tenders were floated for the sale of A-310 plane for a few thousand rupees.