Senate panel mulls remedies for missing persons
Decides to initiate conversation with religious scholars to prevent misuse of blasphemy laws
A file photo of the Senate of Pakistan. PHOTO: EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD:
Transformed into ‘Committee of the Whole House’, the Senate on Tuesday recommended legal and constitutional remedies to address issue of ‘the missing persons’ – a term used for people picked up by intelligence agencies on different charges with no legal remedy.
On the proposal of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Farhatullah Babar, the senate panel agreed to incorporate a recommendation in its final report to impose certain limits on law enforcement agencies (LEAs) through amendment in the Constitution, in case the LEAs have to pick up someone for investigation.
For the first time in the parliamentary history of the country, the Senate is turned into ‘committee of the whole house’ to deliberate on issues of public importance. It has been currently discussing proposals to provide inexpensive and speedy justice to the masses. The panel will compile its report based on recommendations it is finalising and press the government to enact laws accordingly.
Senator Babar called for reining in officials of intelligence agencies if they commit human rights violations. “They pick up people on the basis of suspicion and these people disappear for years. There is a need to make amendment in the Constitution to impose a limit as to what extent the LEAs should have power of investigation,” he remarked.
He said the missing persons were one section of society who could not access any justice, “no matter how expensive and how slow” it may be. “The need for legislation has been voiced in the Supreme Court during hearing in cases as well as recommended in the report of the Commission on Enforced Disappearance,” he said.
The committee decided to ask the government for progress on the 2013 report of the human rights committee. It also decided to make a special sub-chapter on missing persons in its final report. It proposed that constitutionalism and human rights be taught as compulsory subjects in security institutions to sensitise them on the issues.
The panel also decided to initiate a broad conversation with religious scholars and stakeholders on how to prevent the misuse the blasphemy laws in the country. Around 30 proposals were submitted by Senators Farhatullah Babar, Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah of Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) and Azam Swati of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Babar said the blasphemy law had been grossly misused against minorities and vulnerable sections of society and proposed appropriate legislation to prevent this misuse. He also referred to the SC verdict of October 7, 2015 in the Salman Taseer murder case and said that this could form the basis for action by parliament.
A number of senators including Opposition Leader Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan and National Party (NP) President Hasil Bizenjo supported the suggestion. The committee decided to broaden the conversation on blasphemy law in the light of the recent SC verdict.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 23rd, 2015.
Transformed into ‘Committee of the Whole House’, the Senate on Tuesday recommended legal and constitutional remedies to address issue of ‘the missing persons’ – a term used for people picked up by intelligence agencies on different charges with no legal remedy.
On the proposal of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Farhatullah Babar, the senate panel agreed to incorporate a recommendation in its final report to impose certain limits on law enforcement agencies (LEAs) through amendment in the Constitution, in case the LEAs have to pick up someone for investigation.
For the first time in the parliamentary history of the country, the Senate is turned into ‘committee of the whole house’ to deliberate on issues of public importance. It has been currently discussing proposals to provide inexpensive and speedy justice to the masses. The panel will compile its report based on recommendations it is finalising and press the government to enact laws accordingly.
Senator Babar called for reining in officials of intelligence agencies if they commit human rights violations. “They pick up people on the basis of suspicion and these people disappear for years. There is a need to make amendment in the Constitution to impose a limit as to what extent the LEAs should have power of investigation,” he remarked.
He said the missing persons were one section of society who could not access any justice, “no matter how expensive and how slow” it may be. “The need for legislation has been voiced in the Supreme Court during hearing in cases as well as recommended in the report of the Commission on Enforced Disappearance,” he said.
The committee decided to ask the government for progress on the 2013 report of the human rights committee. It also decided to make a special sub-chapter on missing persons in its final report. It proposed that constitutionalism and human rights be taught as compulsory subjects in security institutions to sensitise them on the issues.
The panel also decided to initiate a broad conversation with religious scholars and stakeholders on how to prevent the misuse the blasphemy laws in the country. Around 30 proposals were submitted by Senators Farhatullah Babar, Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah of Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) and Azam Swati of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Babar said the blasphemy law had been grossly misused against minorities and vulnerable sections of society and proposed appropriate legislation to prevent this misuse. He also referred to the SC verdict of October 7, 2015 in the Salman Taseer murder case and said that this could form the basis for action by parliament.
A number of senators including Opposition Leader Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan and National Party (NP) President Hasil Bizenjo supported the suggestion. The committee decided to broaden the conversation on blasphemy law in the light of the recent SC verdict.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 23rd, 2015.