Pakistan

Home secretary to brief NA panel on Awaran arrests

Committee unanimously passes Prevention of Smuggling of Migrants (Amendments) Bill, 2019

Our Correspondent December 11, 2019

Committee unanimously passes Prevention of Smuggling of Migrants (Amendments) Bill, 2019. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE

ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel on Wednesday summoned Balochistan home secretary in its next meeting to brief it on the 'illegal detention' of four women of Awaran.

Security forces last month arrested these women – Sakina, Sayad Bibi, Nazal and Hameeda – from Awaran under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA). The forces claimed that the women had been delivering arms and explosives to armed groups who were targeting forces and government installations.

Their arrest had sparked outrage among Baloch nationalist parties and human rights organisations which vehemently condemned the step and expressed displeasure over violation of Balochistan’s norms and traditions by the provincial government.

Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M), an ally of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) federal government, led these protests and warned that the party would pull out of the ruling alliance if the women were not released.

Later, Interior Minister Brig (retd) Ijaz Shah assured a BNP-M delegation of the federal government’s full support in getting the four women released and the women were freed on Monday.

Awaran’s arrested women released from Khuzdar jail

Appearing before the committee, Balochistan deputy inspector general (DIG) police said the women arrested in the Awaran district were released on December 9 due to insufficient evidence.

The committee later summoned the Balochistan home secretary in its next meeting for a briefing on the 'illegal detention'. It also sought a report from the interior ministry on the issue.

The committee meeting chaired by MNA Raja Khurram Shahzad Nawaz also unanimously passed "The Prevention of Smuggling of Migrants (Amendments) Bill, 2019".

It also considered other bills, including The Criminal Law Amendment Bill moved by Kishwer Zehra and The Islamabad Capital Territory Domestic Workers Bill, moved by Mehnaz Akbar Aziz.

The committee directed the secretary interior to take up the case of granting dual nationality to overseas Pakistanis in Malaysia with the government there through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

It recommended the ministry to raise Buner Wing of the Frontier Constabulary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.