Senate panel to ensure implementation of laws
Minister says international sanctions dim Pak-Iran trade prospects
PHOTO: EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD:
Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani on Tuesday formed a special committee to ensure implementation of existing laws and policies to support marginalised segments of society.
Senators from both sides of the divide participated in the discussion on the existing situation, laws and policies relating to marginalised segments of society, vulnerable children, women, physically challenged, transgender and minorities.
The chairman asked the leader of the house and leader of the opposition in the Senate to cooperate in the constitution of the committee for representation of both sides.
Rabbani said the committee will compile and present its report in parliament after every two months so that the house may examine the report.
Sharing his views, Mushahid Hussain Sayed said violence and social discrimination against transgender, problems faced by physically challenged, forced conversions in Kalash valley, violence against women, plight of sex workers, child abuse, exploitation and denial of rights to minorities and the poor – all comprised tyrant practices being meted out to the marginalised sections of society.
Brigadier (retd) John Kenneth Williams regretted that a “great deal of violence against non-Muslims” would often go unnoticed and unaccounted for in Pakistan.
Lt-Gen (retd) Abdul Qayyum said the international community in general and the United Nations in particular were oblivious to the plight of marginalised communities.
He said the exact number of ‘socially excluded people’ in Pakistan was not known because of the absence of census data. On an estimate, he said, the number of handicapped people has exceeded 30 million today compared with three million in 1998.
Hafiz Hamdullah claimed that more than 2,000 women were killed in Khyber- Pakhtunkhwa during the last three years and 45 transgender were killed this year so far.
Meanwhile, Commerce Minister Khurram Dastagir said Pakistan wants to enhance trade with Iran and intends to strike a crucial agreement with the neighbouring state on rice exports but international sanctions have hindered the related bilateral prospects.
“We very much look forward to signing a deal with Iran that would open new avenues of bilateral trade -- especially rice exports that have a huge scope of trade between Pakistan and Iran but the sanctions imposed by the US and world powers have prevented us from doing so,” the minister told the upper house.
“We have been told that international sanctions have been lifted. But the reality is different. Banks (in the US and elsewhere) are not ‘comforting’ Pakistani banks as far as this deal is concerned. There are so many financial constraints -- all linked to the sanctions,” the minister said while responding to a question posed by Senator Tahir Hussain Mashhadi.
“Even though we want the sanctions to be over at the earliest so that our trade prospects can be resumed and pursued vigorously, right now it is not possible.” The details of rice exports in four years provided by the commerce minister suggested that Pakistan exported over 14 million metric tonnes of rice from FY2011-12 to FY2014-15 and earned foreign exchange of more than $8.1 billion.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 27th, 2016.
Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani on Tuesday formed a special committee to ensure implementation of existing laws and policies to support marginalised segments of society.
Senators from both sides of the divide participated in the discussion on the existing situation, laws and policies relating to marginalised segments of society, vulnerable children, women, physically challenged, transgender and minorities.
The chairman asked the leader of the house and leader of the opposition in the Senate to cooperate in the constitution of the committee for representation of both sides.
Rabbani said the committee will compile and present its report in parliament after every two months so that the house may examine the report.
Sharing his views, Mushahid Hussain Sayed said violence and social discrimination against transgender, problems faced by physically challenged, forced conversions in Kalash valley, violence against women, plight of sex workers, child abuse, exploitation and denial of rights to minorities and the poor – all comprised tyrant practices being meted out to the marginalised sections of society.
Brigadier (retd) John Kenneth Williams regretted that a “great deal of violence against non-Muslims” would often go unnoticed and unaccounted for in Pakistan.
Lt-Gen (retd) Abdul Qayyum said the international community in general and the United Nations in particular were oblivious to the plight of marginalised communities.
He said the exact number of ‘socially excluded people’ in Pakistan was not known because of the absence of census data. On an estimate, he said, the number of handicapped people has exceeded 30 million today compared with three million in 1998.
Hafiz Hamdullah claimed that more than 2,000 women were killed in Khyber- Pakhtunkhwa during the last three years and 45 transgender were killed this year so far.
Meanwhile, Commerce Minister Khurram Dastagir said Pakistan wants to enhance trade with Iran and intends to strike a crucial agreement with the neighbouring state on rice exports but international sanctions have hindered the related bilateral prospects.
“We very much look forward to signing a deal with Iran that would open new avenues of bilateral trade -- especially rice exports that have a huge scope of trade between Pakistan and Iran but the sanctions imposed by the US and world powers have prevented us from doing so,” the minister told the upper house.
“We have been told that international sanctions have been lifted. But the reality is different. Banks (in the US and elsewhere) are not ‘comforting’ Pakistani banks as far as this deal is concerned. There are so many financial constraints -- all linked to the sanctions,” the minister said while responding to a question posed by Senator Tahir Hussain Mashhadi.
“Even though we want the sanctions to be over at the earliest so that our trade prospects can be resumed and pursued vigorously, right now it is not possible.” The details of rice exports in four years provided by the commerce minister suggested that Pakistan exported over 14 million metric tonnes of rice from FY2011-12 to FY2014-15 and earned foreign exchange of more than $8.1 billion.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 27th, 2016.