Senate session: Govt’s ability to counter terrorism questioned

State minister says capacity building of LEAs was under way

ISLAMABAD:

Members of the ruling party faced a barrage of questions on Monday about the implementation of the National Internal Security Policy as well as their “inaction against proscribed outfits” which are doubling as charitable organisations.

“It is sad and shocking to hear that the government has done nothing,” said Minister of State Baleeghur Rehman while responding to the concerns of senators during Monday’s session.

Though there are questions about the NISP and its implementation, the state minister said that “framing the first ever internal security policy was no mean achievement as the previous governments had failed to do so.”



Rehman recapitulated the steps taken by the government and said that capacity building of law enforcement agencies was under way.  “Forty bomb disposal vehicles have been handed over to provinces, high security prisons are being build, cybercrime bill will soon be sent to National Assembly, 21st Amendment has been passed, Wafaqul Madaris is ready to cooperate [for registration] and to single out those involved [in terrorists activities], intelligence reports are being shared [74 threats shared since January 1], 16.3 million mobile SIMs have been verified and action is also being taken against hate speech,” he clarified in detail.

It was Senator Farhatullah Babar of Pakistan Peoples Party who, through a motion, invited attention of the government and ignited a debate in the Senate saying “Internal policy will not succeed, no matter what unless external policy is not rectified.”

“Your external security policy is distorted because you did not take any action against those organisations which were banned. They surfaced again after changing names as charitable organisations,” he added while referring to the names of Hafiz Saeed of Jamatud Dawa (JuD), and Asmatullah Mauvia of Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Tolerating such people means there are distortions in external policy and unless these are not addressed, internal security policy will not succeed. “Don’t allow non-state actors to advance your security and foreign policy agendas outside Pakistan,” he added.

While talking about NISP, he said the NISP had not been brought before the Parliament and there was no discussion. “What did you do regarding a decision to bring intelligence agencies under one umbrella? What did you do regarding the plan to streamline madrassas? And where is the legislation promised in this regard,” Babar questioned.

“The truth is that it is yet unclear whether the government is serious or not,” said Senator Zahid Khan of the Awami National Party as he questioned the government “whether JuD is banned or not?”

Sen Zahid said that all proscribed organisations were in Punjab and “you are saying that no one [madrassas] is receiving foreign funding.”

Kamil Ali Agha of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid said NISP was never approved by parliament and asked “Where is NACTA? Where are the military courts?a”

When Agha asked Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl to quit the government, Haji Ghulam Ali said his party would not be influenced by others wishes and desires. However, he said that there is always hue and cry about madrassas taking foreign funding but no one questions NGOs getting millions in aid.

Shikarpur incident

Earlier, Dr Abdul Qayoom Soomro from the PPP censured the prime minister for not visiting and expressing solidarity with the people of Shikarpur despite being in Karachi on that day of the tragedy. He also said that the attack, which was first of its kind in interior Sindh was “a conspiracy” but said nothing more than that.

“We should not even think in these lines [provincial discrimination],” said leader of the house Raja Zafarul Haq.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 3^rd, 2015.