Agree to disagree: PPO against democratic norms, says Gabol

Opposition unanimous in criticism of the new ordinance.

ISLAMABAD:

A discussion on the Protection of Pakistan Ordinance (PPO) 2013 met with fierce resistance from the opposition in the national assembly, with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shireen Mazari claiming the law “will worsen the situation rather than improve it.”

The PPO, promulgated in October by President Mamnoon Hussain, aims to reinforce existing anti-terror laws and increase the scope of law enforcement agencies. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was the first to reject the ordinance. Following a debate over the inflated prices of essential commodities, the lower house started a debate on law and order. Dr Mazari argued that anti-terrorism laws were already in place and equated the PPO with India’s Terrorists and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA), which has come under allegations of abuse of human rights in the country. She repeated the PTI’s demand to end Pakistani assistance to America in the war on terror and added that Karachi’s police should be depoliticized, judges protected and students educated in order to address the root causes of extremism.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Nabeel Gabol said the PPO usurped democratic rights, adding “We will not allow any law against the democratic norms.”



Awami Muslim League (AML) Chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed pointed to the killing of Haqqani network leader Jalaluddin Haqqani’s son in Islamabad as well as the recent sectarian clashes in Rawalpindi as proof of Islamabad’s vulnerability to acts of terrorism.

Earlier in the session, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan paid tribute to the former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and former army chief General (retd) Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. “Both Justice (retd) Chaudhry and General (retd) Kayani took charge of their respective institutions during the most difficult times,” he added, saying that while their performance may be criticised, they should be praised where it was due.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 13^th, 2013.