Elimination of terrorism: Senators plead for Dec 16 briefing on NAP implementation

Seek enforcement of law barring resurrection of banned outfits under new names

ISLAMABAD: The Senate on Monday directed the government to brief the upper house of parliament on December 16 about the steps taken under the National Action Plan (NAP) for the elimination of terrorism from the country.

The Senate chose the day with particular reference to the terror attack on the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar.

Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani asked the interior ministry to arrange a briefing on NAP implementation on the demand made by the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Aitzaz Ahsan.

It is unclear whether Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar, who often skips upper house proceedings, will actually brief the house.

The leader of the opposition made the demand after the House unanimously passed a resolution moved by PPP Senator Sehar Kamran saying “The Senate of Pakistan re-affirms its solidarity with families of martyrs of Army Public School Peshawar and demands the government continue its struggle for elimination of terrorism from Pakistan.”

“December 16 is a dark day for Pakistan,” Aitzaz Ahsan said while referring to the fall of Dhaka and then the APS attack last year in which 145 people, including 132 students, were killed in a terrorist raid.

Senator Farhatullah Babar also moved a resolution which calls upon the government to implement the law disallowing the resurrection of banned outfits under other names.

Though both the resolutions were passed unanimously they are not binding on the government. The house also passed three other resolutions, on different subjects.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 15^th, 2015.