Militant groups mainstreaming: Govt asked to take parliament on board

ISLAMABAD: The government was asked in the Senate on Wednesday to take Parliament into confidence with regard to mainstreaming of militant groups in Pakistan.

The PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar demanded that the Parliament be taken into confidence about the not so secret moves to mainstream militant organisations in the country.

Speaking on an issue of public importance, he drew the attention of the House towards statement of Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal in which he said that ex-militant organisations, if stopped from raising funds for charity work, will revert to terrorism. “This is a far reaching statement that confirms that moves are afoot to mainstream terrorist organisations,” he emphasised and asked who had formulated this policy, which militant organisations will be mainstreamed and under what conditions?

"The government must come out clean as any thoughtless move will have far reaching implications for the fight against militancy," Farhatullah Babar said.

He said the participation of banned outfits in recent by-elections, the emergence of Milli Muslim League, Jamaatud Dawa entering into electoral politics and protecting Ehsanullah Esan pointed towards such moves.

“Mainstreaming of the militants launching deadly attacks in neighbouring countries will be seen as an act of provocation,” he warned. To this, Chairman Senate Raza Rabbani asked him to move a calling attention notice to elicit a response from the interior minister on the issue.

Babar also raised the issue of across the board accountability and asked what had been done to implement the Senate report which proposed across the board accountability of all sections of society.

He said the government report today on compliance of Senate recommendations on eradication of corruption was totally silent on the recommendation pertaining to accountability of judges and security establishment.

The chairman Senate interjected to say that since the parliamentary committee on accountability had decided not to press for the accountability of all, there was no use asking the law minister to respond to this question.

Raza Rabbani referred the matter pertaining to the fate of 56 employees of Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) to the standing committee on science and technology.

The matter was raised in the House by the PPP Senator Mukhtar Ahmad Dhamra. These employees, he said, were inducted at different times since 2005 for a country-wide safe drinking water project.

However, despite approval of the posts by the Establishment Division and budget given by the Finance Division, they were neither being paid salaries since 2016 nor being regularised.