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Thursday March 28, 2024

Senate perturbed over sending troops to Saudi Arabia

By Mumtaz Alvi
February 21, 2018

ISLAMABAD: Concerns were raised in the Senate Tuesday over sending additional troops to Saudi Arabia, as these, if deployed at Saudi Arabia-Yemen border, could get sucked into a quagmire under the doctrine of hot pursuit.

The House proceedings were marred by a token walk-out by opposition senators, who were joined by their colleagues from Fata on the absence of majority of ministers, whose agenda items were part of the agenda, but they left the House to attend the cabinet meeting.

Only State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry was left to wind up a debate and respond to some queries. “Please convey the chair’s displeasure to the prime minister that his ministers were not present in the House with regards to their agenda items and this was like obstructing the House business,” Rabbani asked Talal, while appreciating him for giving importance the House business.

On a point of public importance, PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar said if the troops were deployed along the Saudi Arabia-Yemen border, they could soon get sucked into quagmire under the doctrine of hot pursuit. “It will be disastrous if, God forbid, it really happens,” he cautioned.

Speaking on another issue of public importance, Senator Babar criticised the 20-year extension by the National Highway Authority (NHA) to the FWO for toll collection.

He said the FWO had been given contract for toll collection without bids, adding that the highly-lucrative contract was extended for ten years during the days of Musharraf.

Now it has been extended by another 20 years in what he said was geometric progression. “By this mathematical model it would logically be extended in 2037 for another 40 years,” he remarked.

He said that this intrusion of the security establishment in the field of economy without bids and public competition would create resentment among entrepreneurs, as he pleaded for a review of the decision.

Senator Sherry Rehman discussed the alarming rise in greenhouse emissions and said, "Pakistan’s carbon emissions are expected to double in two years and surge 14 times by 2050, much more than the world’s average. Pakistan currently ranks as 7th most vulnerable country to climate change and is the third most affected in the South Asian region.”

“It is extremely important to point out that Balochistan's Hanna Lake has completely dried up. It is disturbing that this development is not national news. Last year, former minister for climate change Zahid Hamid admitted that we still do not have any mechanism to monitor air quality in Pakistan. Reports suggest that Pakistan will run out of forests within the next 50 years if deforestation continues at the current rate. Shocking that Govt could not even submit its climate change report on time in the historical Paris agreement 2015," she noted.

Meanwhile, Rabbani admitted a privilege motion against the PIA CEO for not complying with the Senate instructions to report on a petition by some PIA employees against violation of their seniority right and directed the Privileges Committee to report within a week.

During the session, Talal said issuance of licenses for automatic weapons had been banned by the federal cabinet after thorough deliberations, to check illegal weapons in the country. He noted that Pakistan had been the only country, issuing licenses for automatic weapons.

He was winding up a discussion on a motion moved by Senator Muhammad Usman Kakar and others regarding government's policy of banning the issuance of licenses for automatic weapons in the country.