Senate panel condemns Indian brutalities
Calls upon international community to break its silence on the ongoing human rights violations
PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
The Senate Standing Committee on Interior on Monday strongly condemned killings of 14 Kashmiris in the held Kashmir and called upon the international community to take notice of the Indian brutalities
“The committee demands from the International Human Rights Commission to immediately intervene for a legal action against this brutality. The committee also calls upon the international community to take notice of the ongoing brutalities by the Indian Forces against oppressed Kashmiri people," said a resolution presented by the committee’s Chairman Senator A. Rehman Malik.
Malik said Indian army’s brutalities against innocent Kashmiris had increased after Narendra Modi took the reins as the Indian prime minister in 2014. He said the international community must break its silence and speak against ongoing Indian brutalities.
The Ministry of Interior also briefed the committee on the Exit Control List (ECL) Policy of the government and discussed in detail the lacunas in the current policy. Malik said the ECL is being used as a tool of punishment and that when a person’s name is put on the list it gives him a bad name.
“The Constitution of Pakistan ensures the fundamental human rights and freedom of movement of every citizen and restricting anyone movement without serious crime is a violation.
“One must not be placed on the ECL merely for the reason that an inquiry is initiated against him until one is not proven either guilty or the court has not ordered to place his name on the ECL or the person is involved in espionage, terrorism or anti-state activities,” he said.
Malik said the competent authority is the federal government and the Supreme Court has given a verdict that the federal government means ‘The whole cabinet’. He said the way names are placed on the ECL is not appropriate and the committee will take opinion of all the stakeholders on it.
He said the committee's main concern is to make the ECL policy very clear with regard to putting and removing names from the ECL “so that we can facilitate the public through the parliament.”
The chairman said influential people used to get their names removed from the ECL and the poor is a victim of this discriminatory policy, adding that the present ECL policy should be amended.
“The committee proposes that the word ‘competent authority’ should be substituted with ‘Federal Secretary, Ministry of Interior’, nobody should be placed on the ECL during the inquiry unless ordered by the trial court and the Supreme Court of Pakistan,” he added.
He said all the names which have been placed on the ECL in the last 3 years without a court order may be removed from the ECL with immediate effect.
“There is no need to revisit the rules, criteria, procedure and the SOPs for placing anyone's name on the ECL or blacklist where the concerned person should be informed within seven days without affecting his basic human rights to get relief from the court,” he added.
Malik questioned the Ministry of Interior about the law and procedure under which any investigative agency asks for putting anyone's name on the ECL. The secretary interior said referred cases from the agencies are reviewed by the home committee and then referred to the federal cabinet for final actions.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) also briefed the panel on the measures taken so far to safeguard the Cyber Borders Security Control System in the greater national interest.
“We have been raising 2.5 million dollars from cellular companies to buy the equipment needed for cyber protection. We have already arranged 2.3 million dollar,” he said.
Malik appreciated the PTA and said he had advised the government both here and in the Senate to buy equipment worth $25 million for the PTA to block blasphemous material, anti-Islam views, anti-Pakistan material and pornographic contents.
“I am pleased to know that the PTA has collected an amount of 2.3 million dollar,” he added. APP
The Senate Standing Committee on Interior on Monday strongly condemned killings of 14 Kashmiris in the held Kashmir and called upon the international community to take notice of the Indian brutalities
“The committee demands from the International Human Rights Commission to immediately intervene for a legal action against this brutality. The committee also calls upon the international community to take notice of the ongoing brutalities by the Indian Forces against oppressed Kashmiri people," said a resolution presented by the committee’s Chairman Senator A. Rehman Malik.
Malik said Indian army’s brutalities against innocent Kashmiris had increased after Narendra Modi took the reins as the Indian prime minister in 2014. He said the international community must break its silence and speak against ongoing Indian brutalities.
The Ministry of Interior also briefed the committee on the Exit Control List (ECL) Policy of the government and discussed in detail the lacunas in the current policy. Malik said the ECL is being used as a tool of punishment and that when a person’s name is put on the list it gives him a bad name.
“The Constitution of Pakistan ensures the fundamental human rights and freedom of movement of every citizen and restricting anyone movement without serious crime is a violation.
“One must not be placed on the ECL merely for the reason that an inquiry is initiated against him until one is not proven either guilty or the court has not ordered to place his name on the ECL or the person is involved in espionage, terrorism or anti-state activities,” he said.
Malik said the competent authority is the federal government and the Supreme Court has given a verdict that the federal government means ‘The whole cabinet’. He said the way names are placed on the ECL is not appropriate and the committee will take opinion of all the stakeholders on it.
He said the committee's main concern is to make the ECL policy very clear with regard to putting and removing names from the ECL “so that we can facilitate the public through the parliament.”
The chairman said influential people used to get their names removed from the ECL and the poor is a victim of this discriminatory policy, adding that the present ECL policy should be amended.
“The committee proposes that the word ‘competent authority’ should be substituted with ‘Federal Secretary, Ministry of Interior’, nobody should be placed on the ECL during the inquiry unless ordered by the trial court and the Supreme Court of Pakistan,” he added.
He said all the names which have been placed on the ECL in the last 3 years without a court order may be removed from the ECL with immediate effect.
“There is no need to revisit the rules, criteria, procedure and the SOPs for placing anyone's name on the ECL or blacklist where the concerned person should be informed within seven days without affecting his basic human rights to get relief from the court,” he added.
Malik questioned the Ministry of Interior about the law and procedure under which any investigative agency asks for putting anyone's name on the ECL. The secretary interior said referred cases from the agencies are reviewed by the home committee and then referred to the federal cabinet for final actions.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) also briefed the panel on the measures taken so far to safeguard the Cyber Borders Security Control System in the greater national interest.
“We have been raising 2.5 million dollars from cellular companies to buy the equipment needed for cyber protection. We have already arranged 2.3 million dollar,” he said.
Malik appreciated the PTA and said he had advised the government both here and in the Senate to buy equipment worth $25 million for the PTA to block blasphemous material, anti-Islam views, anti-Pakistan material and pornographic contents.
“I am pleased to know that the PTA has collected an amount of 2.3 million dollar,” he added. APP