Senate calls for NAP implementation in letter and spirit

ISLAMABAD: The Senate on Wednesday passed a unanimous resolution, condemning the cowardly terrorist attack on the Bacha Khan University in Charsadda and called for the adoption of a zero tolerance policy towards terrorism and the formation of a parliamentary panel to oversee the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP).

The resolution, moved by the Leader of the House in the Senate Raja Muhammad Zafarul Haq, called for the implementation of NAP in letter and spirit and asked both the federal and provincial governments to adopt a zero tolerance policy on terror activities and take strong measures to curb it.

The government was again castigated for not taking action against the former prayer leader of Lal Masjid, who openly supported the Islamic State and other terror groups.Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani proposed the formation of a parliamentary panel to monitor the implementation of the plan against extremism, militancy and terrorism.

The Senate Committee of the Whole, also in its meeting earlier, vehemently condemned the massacre. On behalf of the committee, Rabbani condemned the attack and said this would not dent the nation’s resolve to continue the war till the last terrorist was eliminated from the Pakistani soil.

Speaking on the latest terrorist attack, the senators slammed the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government, saying that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his “kitchen cabinet” had no political will to curb the terror attacks, reflecting lack of implementation of NAP despite the passage of one year.

However, the Senate acknowledged the operation Zarb-e-Azb and contribution of the armed forces to eliminate the menace of terrorism and militancy was commendable.Taking part in the debate, Opposition Leader in the Senate, Aitzaz Ahsan, criticised the government saying the State still appeared to be considering some radical elements as its ‘assets’.

Aitzaz claimed that this was not the NAP agreed to by all the parties, rather this was the PML-N action plan, as no action was taken against the terrorist safe havens in Islamabad and Punjab.

“It’s on the record that the PML-N leadership begged the Taliban not to target Punjab as they share the same school ideology, and then how can this plan be successful?” he questioned.

An obvious reference to Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan, he charged, how a man who fell sick when he was asked to go to Karachi by the prime minister can look after important affairs.

“The objection raised by the lawmakers is correct: why the interior minister is not seen when the terrorists killed the future of our country,” he added.He also criticised Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for his recent visit to Iran and Saudi Arabia, along with the chief of army staff, completely ignoring parliament.

Aitzaz warned the prime minister saying that ‘if this remained the attitude of the prime minister, the day is not far when a single man will be visiting countries alone and the premier will be no more there.

“If parliament is ignored any longer, then there will be only one man and it will not be the prime minister,” he alleged.Aitzaz emphasised priority should be given to rooting out the menace of terrorism through full support to the army instead of spending billions of rupees on flyovers and bridges.

“The prime minister is generous enough to give Rs2.5 billion to Sidique Baloch when he asks for Rs2 billion for election campaign…but the government is yet to identify what is its priority: eradicating terrorism or building flyovers,” he lamented.

Raja Zafar defended the interior minister, saying he had been on bed rest for the last one week, adding “Anybody can fall sick, and there is no point in criticising him.”He endorsed the proposal by the Senate chairman that a parliamentary oversight committee should be formed to monitor the progress on the NAP. “We all should join hands and fight the cancer of terrorism together,” he added.

Senator Usman Khan Kakar of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), made it clear that ‘unless the interference by the military and spy agencies in political matters were not stopped, there was no solution to the menace of terrorism.”

Holding the former military dictator Gen Ziaul Haq and Gen Hamid Gul, directly responsible for the ongoing terrorism and militancy, he stressed parliament should be empowered for finding a long-lasting solution to the issue.

He claimed that controversial hardliner preacher Maulana Abdul Aziz was being protected by the government and the military, adding no one was afraid of him as he was very small fry to deal with but he enjoyed the blessings of people at the helm of affairs.

PML-N Senator Salahuddin Tirmizi, a retired general, demanded that the inquiry reports of the military school as well as the recent attack on the Bacha Khan University be made public in order to prevent such attacks by taking corrective measures.

Senator Kamil Ali Agha of the PML-Q said that there was no let up in the ongoing war against terrorism due to lack of political acumen, adding except for the late Benazir Bhutto not a single politician was ready to take head-on the terrorists, but he quickly added that it was only COAS Gen Raheel Sharif, who was seen in the forefront in the war against terrorism.

PPP Senator Farhatllah Babar said peace would remain elusive unless there was peace in Afghanistan adding the state must revisit its policies, desist from treating Afghanistan as its fifth province.

Babar proposed that the relevant committee of the Senate be tasked to regularly review the implementation of NAP and submit its report to the Senate, a judicial inquiry be conducted into the recent attack the report of which must be published along with the inquiry report of the APS attack.

He criticised what he alleged the federal government’s insensitivity towards Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as demonstrated by the fact that the interior minister was conspicuous by his absence and no high profile figure from the federal government visited the terror victims.

PPP Senator Sherry Rehman asked whether Pakistan had altered its rights landscape and built a consensus in APCs against terrorism as the cabinet was not sharing details on NAP with parliament.

She asked about the viability of the NAP when the top terrorists ran free in the Punjab, adding the Senate was waiting for the prime minister to cut short his visit and return forthwith from Davos to pick up the pieces from a dark and bloody episode that will haunt the country for years.The Senate will now meet on January 21 at 3:00pm.