1,900 CCTV cameras working in Islamabad, Senate told

House passes Hindu Marriage Bill 2016; three bills referred to committees

ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Interior Balighur Rehman on Friday informed the upper house of the parliament that 1,900 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras were functioning under the safe city project in the federal capital to monitor any unusual activity.

Replying to a question in Senate, the minister said a total of 2,100 CCTV cameras would be installed in Islamabad, out of which 1,900 had already been installed. He said the Punjab government had also planned to follow the project in the province. He said vehicles number-plates recognition software would soon be functional with these cameras.

To another question, he said there were three model addiction treatment and rehabilitation centres running under supervision of the Anti-Narcotics Force, one each at Islamabad, Quetta and Karachi. The Karachi centre was being run with donations from philanthropists, he added.

Meanwhile, the Senate passed the Hindu Marriage Bill 2016 unanimously on Friday, with an amendment aimed at easing growing insecurity among the country’s Hindu community. Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid on behalf of Minister Human Rights Kamran Michael moved the bill in the House.

The sole amendment was moved by Senator Farhatullah Babar. The National Assembly has already passed the bill. The bill will enable the Hindu community to get their marriages registered and separation cases could be resolved in the courts.

Clause 17 of the bill states that any Hindu widow would have the right to remarry of her will and consent after the death of her husband, provided a period of six months had lapsed after the death.

Meanwhile, Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani referred three bills including the Companies Bill 2017, the Pakistan Air Force (Amendment) Bill 2017 and the National Commission on the Rights of the Child Bill 2017 to the standing committees concerned for further deliberation.

All the three bills were tabled by Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid in the House. The Senate chairman also expressed displeasure over non-presence of ministers to respond to business, taken up in the House. He directed the parliamentary affairs minister to convey his message to the government.