Senate panel summons interior secretary, FIA chief

Law minister says legislation required on issuance of succession certificate

ISLAMABAD: The Senate's Standing Committee on Law and Justice on Monday took up the issue of the interior ministry’s black list of people barred from travelling abroad, and summoned the interior secretary, director general of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and director general of Passports.

Taking up a public petition forwarded by Muhammad Atiq Rafiq, Committee Chairman Senator Muhammad Javed Abbasi said that a detailed discussion was made on the matter and it would be better that the advice on this came from the interior ministry.

The committee had a comprehensive debate on the black list and its legal validity. During the discussion, Committee members Raza Rabbani, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, Musaddiq Masood Malik and Ayesha Raza Farooq maintained that there was no which allowed the placing of names in the black list.



“From where the order for restraining people from going abroad come and which law gives such powers,” asked Senator Khokhar. The committee was informed that the list for travel control is made by the FIA on the court orders.

It was also pointed out that the interior ministry had informed the Senate human rights committee that there was no law except for the exit control list (ECL) which could take away the basic human right of the people.

After the discussion, Senator Abbasi said summoned the interior secretary and the DGs of the FIA and the passport along with officials from human rights ministry and human rights committee, to get a detailed briefing on the issue and the explanation for the use of black list.

Law and Justice Minister Farogh Naseem informed the committee that new legislation would make it easy for the citizens to obtain succession certificate. He said even parliamentarians faced difficulties in obtaining the succession certificate, which showed how much difficulties the people faced.

The minister said that all the bars of the country had been asked for their suggestions for making the new law. The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) had also been taken on board on the issue, he added.

Senator Abbasi said that the people faced great difficulties in obtaining the succession certificate. Senator Shahzad Waseem said that NADRA did not have the complete data of marriage and birth certificates in the federal capital.

The NADRA DG said that the record of marriage, birth and death was the responsibilities of the local government. Senator Rabbani turned down a suggestion that the new law should come into force as a pilot project in Islamabad and if successful, it could be applied throughout the country.

Those meeting was attended by Raza Rabbani, Hasil Bizenjo, Siraj ul Haq, Ayesha Farooq, Musaddiq Malik, Dr Ghous Muhammad Khan Niazi, Mustafa Nawaz Khokar, Sana Jamali, Dr Shahzad Wasim and Syed Muhammad Sabir Shah.

In addition to Federal Law Minister Dr Farogh Nasim, senior advisers to the law ministry Malik Hakim Ali Khan, additional law secretary, additional interior secretary, the director general of NADRA and other high officials were also present.