Senate opposition protests Islands ordinance, Safdar’s arrest

Qureshi says govt to raise killing of Pakistani Hindus in India at international fora

ISLAMABAD:

Opposition lawmakers in the Senate protested against the issuance of the Pakistan Islands Development Authority (Pida) Ordinance, the brief arrest of Capt (retd) Muhammad Safdar, husband of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz in Karachi.

During the proceedings, there were heated exchanges between Leader of the House Dr Shehzad Waseem and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Sherry Rehman amid the noisy protest on the floor of the house.

PPP’s Raza Rabbani came down hard on the federal government, accusing it of seizing the coastal belt in Sindh and Balochistan without the knowledge of the provinces. He also said that the inspector general of police was picked up in Sindh and the provincial government was not aware of it.

Rabbani said that the federal government was “trying its best to run” the country under the defunct 1962 constitution. “The government is conspiring to re-impose One Unit but we will not allow it to happen,” he added.

Speaking about the Pida ordinance, the former Senate chairman said that the federal government was trying to occupy 300 islands of Sindh. “The ordinance mentions tourism, but even tourism has become a provincial subject now,” he added.

Similarly, he said, in Balochistan the federation had the control over Riko Deq mines. “What benefit it gave to the the people of Balochistan,” he asked. “This is a violation of the Constitution. “We will not allow this to happen under any circumstances.”

Senator Kulsoom Parveen also raised the issue of the brief arrest of Capt (retd) Safdar in Karachi on Monday. She said that the method of arresting the son-in-law of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was very wrong.

Responding to the opposition’s speeches, the leader of the house said that the government respected the constitutional rights of all the provinces but at the same time it played its role for the betterment of the people of the province.

He said that according to the Constitution, the ownership of the islands was with the federal government but the provinces would be taken into confidence regarding the development projects on these islands.

During his speech, female members of the PPP started chanting slogans. Reacting to the noisy protest, Dr Shehzad Waseem said that a “circus” had been started “on the orders received from above”. He added that unfortunately, they tried to please their parties instead of serving country.

However, opposition lawmakers stood up and chanted slogans related to Sindh’s Islands. Later, they staged walkout from the proceedings. Dr Shehzad Waseem said that the opposition was not ready to listen to the truth.

Meanwhile, responding to a call-attention notice from Senator Mushtaq Ahmed of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told the house that the issue of the killing of 11 Pakistani Hindus in India would be raised at every forum in the world.

“India wanted to spread its narrative through them that the minorities were insecure in Pakistan,” he said, adding that the Hindutva ideology was predominant in India and the minorities there were now insecure.

On a suggestion from Opposition Leader Raja Zafarul Haq, who said that the issue should be raised with international organizations, Qureshi noted that Pakistan had been re-elected to the Human Rights Council, adding “If India does not respond to Pakistan’s queries, then this option is available.”

During the proceedings, the list of official vehicle in the use of ministers, advisers and special assistants was present in the house. Parliamentary Affairs State Minister Ali Muhammad Khan said that the Tigers Force was not a subordinate organisation of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

Earlier, Senator Behrmand Tangi stated that the prime minister assigned the task of controlling prices to the Tiger Force which tantamount to encroaching upon the powers of the price control committees.

Meanwhile, in a written reply, Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan informed the Senate that the government was restructuring the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to improve the service delivery system.

At the outset of the meeting, through a condolence resolution moved by Senator Rabbani, the house expressed deep sorrow and grief over the demise of Senator Rashid Hussain Rabbani. Senator Mola Baksh Chandio said that late Senator Rashid Hussain Rabbani was true and committed worker of the PPP and contributed a lot for supremacy of democracy.