Attacks on journalists: Rabbani asks Senate body to share monthly progress report

ISLAMABAD: Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani Monday asked the House Standing Committee on Interior to share monthly progress with the Senate on investigations regarding attacks on journalists, including Hamid Mir, Ahmad Noorani and Matiullah Jan.
He gave this direction when the Senate granted 30 days to the standing committee on the request of its Chairman Senator Abdul Rehman Malik, as the relevant quarters had sought three more weeks to reach any conclusion about the recent attack on Ahmad Noorani.
Rabbani wanted the committee to present its monthly progress report on these investigations in the House. “You won’t get any conclusive report even after three weeks,” he remarked, when Rehman Malik said that the probing authorities have sought more time. Rehman Malik said 1 million mobile phones had been screened out and the committee was constantly following the investigation on the attack on Ahmad Noorani.
The House passed the bill to further amend the Pakistan Penal Code 1860 and the Code of Criminal Procedure 1898 to enhance punishment in cash and jail for an intoxicated person, resorting to pandemonium outside.
The bill was moved by the PML-N Senator Ch Tanvir Khan and the committee had cleared it after deliberations. Senator Tanvir informed the House that when he studied the relevant law, there was Rs30 fine and confinement of a few hours to such person, which was insufficient to discourage such sorry scenes at public places. However, his bill to prohibit the practice of witchcraft: The Prevention of Witchcraft Bill, 2017 was not passed, instead after Leader of Opposition Aitzaz Ahsan’s intervention, it was referred to a select committee of the House for addressing certain legal issues.