Senate passes two bills amid protest by smaller opposition parties

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Wednesday passed the Limited Liability Partnership (Amendment) Bill, 2020 and the Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2020 amid protest by smaller opposition parties, which flayed the government and PPP and PML-N for approving the bills and alleged these will further push Pakistan to slavery of the world financial institutions.

Before the bills were put for consideration and adoption, the Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue, Senator Farooq H Naek, presented the related committee reports in the House, and some amendments by him and Senator Imamuddin Shouqeen were made part of the bills prior to their approval.

Responding to criticism by Jamaat-e-Islami Senator Mushtaq Ahmad and Senator Maulana Attaur Rehman of JUI-Fazl, Leader of the House Dr Shahzad Waseem said it was an important day, as the government and opposition again proved that with sagacity, better decisions could be taken in the national interests.

“Keeping in view the threats to Pakistan, opposition parties too came up above the party lines for the sake of the state and this will yield better results,” he said and reminded the opposition parties that Pakistan was placed in the gray list before PTI government. “It was a gift from you and this was because of money laundering and terrorism,” he remarked, and in reaction some opposition senators were on their feet to agitate on it.

He asked that whose leadership was presently appearing before courts in relation to money laundering and decisions were being announced. He claimed PTI government had presented Pakistan as a peace-loving responsible state with pivotal role in key areas, like Afghan peace and CPEC while India was facing isolation. He indirectly blamed PML-N and PPP for the menace of terrorism and corruption. Senator Shahzad Waseem claimed that “we will play two innings and for the second innings, we will come with a two-third majority on the basis of our performance.” “Osama bin Laden is called martyr by their leader and we have spread terrorism and the longest case of money laundering, PTI foreign funding, is pending before the Election Commission of Pakistan since November 2014 while you continue seeking stays. One of your own confidantes Akbar S Babar had spilled the beans,” retorted PPP Senator Quratulain Marri.

She pointed out that the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training had announced that the national curriculum was seen, endorsed and approved by 400 academic experts was misleading, as one of the experts had said he had not talked to the ministry on this, what to talk of approving the same. On her request, the matter was referred to the House committee concerned by Chairman Senate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani.

Senators Mushtaq and Maulana Attaur Rehman said they would like to greet the government and two major opposition parties for furthering pushing the nation to the slavery of international institutions and claimed to have resisted pressures to support the FATF-related bills. “Your graph is falling and you were neither nor are the nation’s representatives,” asserted Maulana Atta while taking pride along with some other opposition parties for not backing these bills.

“I feel ashamed while standing in this House and this legislation is the biggest illegality done and the national sovereignty was compromised. This is imposed legislation and not indigenous legislation. I question claims of government performance, as loadshedding is adding to people woes and sugar has crossed century and heading towards double century. It is a day of mourning,” remarked Senator Mushtaq.

Senior PML-N leader Senator Mushahidullah Khan said he saw dozens of ministers narrating stories, perhaps they had been asked to appear this way in the backdrop of reports of their fighting during cabinet meetings. “Do they understand economy today sugar is being sold at Rs110, whereas it was available at Rs53 and flour at Rs35 before PTI government and prices of all other items, ghee, flour and pulses have gone up this way,” he claimed. Mushahidullah continued that on one hand the Essential Services Act had been imposed in PTV while six persons on hefty packages had been appointed while under this act, people would be sacked.

He challenged that a sergeant-at-arms be asked on oath to say was it easy for him to afford his basic needs of life now or during the past government.