Senate resolution on zero hunger defeated
The upper house of parliament on Monday rejected a resolution put forward by Senator Sania Nishtar of the PTI, which called for the establishment of a cross-sectorial task force to identify gaps in financing for the food system.
Senate Chairman Sanjrani, on behalf of the minister concerned, urged the mover to postpone the resolution as the minister wanted to respond to it personally. He explained that the minister could not attend the session due to some government obligations.
However, Senator Nishtar insisted on proceeding with the resolution and called for a vote. The vote's outcome revealed that only 11 senators voted in favor, while 22 voted against the resolution.
The resolution cited Article 38 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, which stipulates that the state shall secure the well-being of the people and provide them with necessities of life, irrespective of sex, caste, creed, or race, by raising their standard of living.
It pointed out that, in pursuit of Goal No. 2 of the Sustainable Development Goals, Pakistan has committed to achieving "zero hunger."
It expressed concern that despite being an agrarian economy, Pakistan is far from reaching this goal, with the country positioned at number 84 out of 113 countries in the Global Food Security Index 2022 and currently facing record food inflation of 46.8%.
The resolution also highlighted Pakistan's growing vulnerability to climate change, which will further threaten food security, as demonstrated by the devastating 2022 flood that resulted in an additional 7.6 million people experiencing food insecurity, with 48% of households losing their stored cereal stock.
It emphasized that, apart from the good work done in the form of formulating the National Food Security Policy of 2018, Pakistan needs an action plan to unify, consolidate, and streamline all efforts toward the goal of ensuring adequate, affordable, safe, and nutritious food for all through sustainable food production, improved land use, and reduced food wastage.
Read More: Foinsecurity and hunger in Pakistan
"The Senate, therefore, urges the government to immediately create a cross-sectorial task force in the country to identify gaps in financing towards our food system and develop a clear understanding of the country's financing needs in line with Pakistan's global commitments ahead of COP-28.
"The house also demands that Pakistan should engage with global partners to unlock investments from public, private, and multilateral development banks and philanthropic sources to shift to good food finance and to actively participate in the co-investment platform for food systems transformation that is to be launched at COP-28," it said.
The Senate also deferred discussion on a bill seeking an increase in the penalty against people and organizations that use names or emblems of state institutions for business purposes.
Senator Shahadat Awan of the PPP on Monday introduced the Pakistan Names and Emblems (Prevention of Unauthorized Use) (Amendment) Bill, 2023 during a Senate session with Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani presiding.
Read More: Looming food insecurity
The bill aimed to raise the penalty imposed on unauthorized use of the name of a state institution from Rs500 to Rs50,000. The bill's mover stated that some businesses use the names of the armed forces as their brand names and get away with paying a paltry amount in case of legal action.
Commenting on the bill, Caretaker Federal Minister for Human Rights Khalil George said that the federal cabinet and the Finance Division are working on the piece of legislation. He requested the chair to defer the discussion on the bill for one week.