Rare support: Senate unanimously passes five bills

Govt says it will introduce amendments following budget debate.

ISLAMABAD:

After a tough legislative year and much criticism, the government on Wednesday managed to pass five bills in one sitting with cooperation from opposition, which did walk out in protest only after legislative business was over.

The first of the bills, tabled by Federal Minister Zahid Hamid, was Anti-Terrorism Amendment Bill, 2014 as passed by the National Assembly and further amended by the Standing Committee of Interior and Narcotics Control.

The bill aims to provide legal cover to Joint interrogation Teams (JIT) and, enabling police to become complainants, protects witnesses from being publicly exposed. The said legislation had almost completed its maximum period (90 days) in the Senate, and it would lapse if not passed.

The leader of the opposition in the upper house, Aitizaz Ahsan, said the government had assured them that further amendments would be introduced in the bill after completion of budget discussions.

The Federal Minister Hamid guaranteed to discuss not just the Anti Terrorism Bill 2014 but the Pakistan Protection Ordinance (PPO) and said many of the recommendations pointed by the opposition in both the houses would be incorporated.

The Anti-Terrorism Second amendment bill, which aims to address the apprehension of international bodies like the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) that set standards for Anti Money Laundering (AML) and Counter Financing of Terrorism (CFT), was also passed.

The house also approved the Legal Practitioner and Bar Councils (Amendment) Bill – laid in the house by Minister for Law, Justice and Human Rights, Pervaiz Rashid – for the establishment of the Islamabad Bar Council.  The Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan (Amendment) Bill 2014 for amending the qualifications and inclusion of newer members to the commission was also passed.

The Service Tribunal (Amendment) Bill 2014, which had seen severe opposition previously, was also passed.  The legislation was important as per the order of the Supreme Court as the service tribunal has been dysfunctional since September 2013. The amendments have been made for the criteria to select a new chairperson.

On a point of order, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Raza Rabbani highlighted the use of state machinery in Islamabad to stop protestors including teachers. He said he condemned the use of force against protestors who were out on the streets against the meager increase to their salaries. “It is state backed terrorism,” he said.

Awami National Party (ANP) Senator Haji Adeel drew attention of the house towards closing down of schools in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to threatening letters, demanding extortion money.

He said even a philanthropic organisation like Edhi Foundation was not safe in Peshawar as its offices and vans were being attacked.

“The provincial government has failed,” he concluded, adding that the federal government should wake up to the situation before it was too late.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 5^th, 2014.