Senate body slams decision to issue bullet proof vehicle licences to elite

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Interior Tuesday, while discussing the issuance of permit for bullet proof vehicles, showed reservations over the government decision that it should be issued only for the rich and VVIPs.

Chairman Committee Senator A Rehman Malik directed the Ministry of Interior to allow the issuance permits for bullet proof vehicles to every citizen without any discrimination.

The meeting of the committee was chaired by its Chairman Rehman Malik here Tuesday. The Senate committee has constituted a sub-committee with its members Senator Rubina Khalid, Senator Jehanzeb Jamaldini and Senator Javed on “The Criminal Laws (Amendment) (Protection of rights of Transgender Person) Bill, 2017” moved by Senator Rubina Khalid.

Rehman Malik tasked the Committee to decide either to include it as new chapter in the law or to bring amendment into existing law. The sub-committee will also look into the subject bill and take input from Islamic Ideology Council, Law Division and Ministry of Interior on the Bill, said Rehman Malik. The committee was briefed by member of Islamic Ideology Council about their stance on the bill and suggested that we need to redefine the word ‘person’ for transgender.

Rehman Malik said that transgender persons were the equal citizens of the country and their rights must be protected by either formulating new law or bringing necessary amendments into existing laws.” It is the need of the hour to stop the discrimination of transgender persons and it would be unfortunate if law discriminates them,” he said.

He also suggests bringing a law under which stern actions could be taken against those parents who throw their transgender children out of homes at mercy of society. He also appreciated Senator Rubina Khalid for her move to bring law securing the rights of transgender persons.

Committee also considered and discussed the bill moved by Senator Muhammad Azam Khan Swati about the transfusion of blood. While discussing the safe transfusion of blood, Rehman Malik said that most mistransfusion incidents are caused by identification errors at the time of pre-transfusion blood sampling and we should not ignore the human errors. He said that there should be proper screening and laboratory tests for multiple diseases before the transfusion of blood. Across the world highly scientific methods are being adopted for blood transfusion, he added.

After thorough discussion over the Bill “Islamabad Capital Territory Prohibition of Interest on Private Loans Bill” moved by Senator Sirajul Haq, the Committee referred the bill to Islamic Ideology Council for their point of view in consultation with the mover.

Rehman Malik inquired the Ministry of Interior about the Committee recommendation in its previous meeting to suspend the order of suspension of arms licence. Showing graver apprehension on the knowing that yet the ministry have not taken back the notice, Committee said that notice of Cancelling Arms Licenses should be taken back immediately till the matter is not referred to the House for deliberation and final decision over it. He said that he had been receiving concerns from honourable members of the Parliament over the cabinet decision of banning the licences. He said has government ensured the security of every citizen that it is collecting arms for self-protection.

He said that government should take such decision after consultation with Parliament and the matter should be discussed in Parliament. Chairman Committee Rehman Malik moved a resolution against the unprovoked violations across Line of Control (LoC) by Indian forces in which innocent civilian were killed and injured and the Committee unanimously passed the resolution.

Rehman Malik read the resolution as: “The Senate Standing Committee on Interior strongly condemns the recent unprovoked violation by Indian forces across Line of Control (LoC) which resulted the killing of six civilians and injuring sixteen. The Committee demands from the United Nations (UN) to take a serious notice of Indian unprovoked violations across LoC as it is endangering the regional peace and also violating UN’s laws. The Committee demands the government of Pakistan to lodge serious protest in the United Nations for these violations by India”.

After passing the resolution prayer was offered for the martyrs and for early health recovery for those who were injured. The meeting was attended among others by Senator Javed Abbasi, Senator Sardar Fateh Hassani, Senator Shahi Syed, Senator Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini, Senator Muhammad Ali Khan Saif as members, and Senator Rubina Khalid, Senator Sirajul Haq and Senator Muhammad Azam Khan Swati attended the meeting as movers of their respective bills. The meeting was also attended by Special Secretary Interior, member Islamic Ideology Council (IIC) and by officials from Law Ministry.