Senate proceedings: Law enforcers toothless against outlaws, says Malik

Says Parliament failed to make laws allowing enforcement agencies to act effectively against criminals.

ISLAMABAD:

The government admitted on Tuesday that it has failed to make Parliament legislate a law allowing enforcement agencies to act effectively against criminal elements.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik admitted that under existing laws, law enforcers were toothless against outlaws.

“Accept your (lawmakers) responsibility as we have failed to amend the existing weak laws, which hinder the courts to punish the criminals despite confessions. Have these laws updated; give it a week’s time and look into it,” Malik said.

On November 12, the government introduced the Anti Terrorism Act, 1997 [The Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, 2012] in the National Assembly. The bill was referred to the concerned National Assembly Standing Committee the same day. The debate concluded on law and order situation but no ruling came from Senate Chairman Nayyar Hussain Bokhari.

Concluding the debate on the law and order situation, Malik said that law enforcement agencies arrested criminals but they were released due to lacuna in laws. Malik said that incidents of target killings were on a decline in Karachi.

He said that Sindh High Court had also endorsed his decision to ban motorcycle riding in sensitive areas of Karachi, which, he added, would help in thwarting terror incidents during Muharram.

This year, over 12,641 robbers and 2,339 criminals were arrested in Karachi, Malik said. He added that six major gangsters were also arrested. Nine robbers were killed in Karachi and 15 were killed in the rest of Sindh. He further said that 106 policemen died in the line of duty in Karachi and 29 in rest of Sindh, this year.

The law and order situation in Karachi will not improve until all armed groups are neutralised, he added.

The interior minister went on to say that the rift between Sunni and Shia sects in the country was part of a ‘conspiracy’ engineered by enemies of the state.

Malik denied that there was a military operation being carried in Sui, Balochistan, adding that the FC was deployed there for the protection of the pipeline and for clearing land mines.

Malik stated that over-the-counter sale of mobile phone SIMs would be banned next month, which would help in decreasing terror incidents in the country. He claimed that 150,000 SIMs, issued without CNICs, bound for Waziristan Agency, were confiscated.

Senate condemns Israeli attacks on Gaza

The Senate passed a unanimous resolution on Tuesday condemning the Israeli attack on Gaza that has killed and injured scored of innocent Palestinians men, women and children.

The House demanded the international community and the United Nations to help stop the use of force against the people of Palestine.

Senators Mir Hasil Bizenjo, Syed Tahir Hussain Mashhadi, Hafiz Hamdullah, Ilyas Bilour, Mushahidullah and Kalsoom Parveen spoke in support of the resolution.

Ban on YouTube may go

Speaking on a point of order, Senator Dr Karim Ahmad Khawaja urged the government to lift the ban on YouTube. Interior Minister Malik said the government is importing software to block any derogatory remarks about Islam or sacrilegious film from any website and hoped that it would be imported and installed within three weeks.

“Once we are sure that we can block such sacrilegious videos or derogatory remarks; we will consider reopening YouTube,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 21^st, 2012.