26 June 2004	Saturday	07 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

ISLAMABAD, June 25: The Senate standing committee on Human Rights postponed the deliberations on examination of controversial Hudood laws, as the minister for law and interior failed to show up.

The ministers were absent in the important meeting of the Senate standing committee despite advise of President Gen Musharraf to discuss the controversial Hudood laws with the aim to repeal the contentious provisions.

Taking exception to the absence of the ministers, the committee members asked the chairman of the committee, Senator S.M Zafar, to pass strictures against the ministers.

"How can the meeting take place in the absence of the ministers? This is derogation of the committee," Senator Raza Rabbani pointed out to the chair while quoting the relevant rules.

Senator Rabbani protested that during the last meeting on the issue, the law minister explicitly said the Hudood laws could not be discussed without the interior minister's presence and now both of them found it convenient not to attend the meeting on an important issue.

When adviser to the prime minister on women affairs, Nilofar Bakhtiar, tried to give a justification that the ministers were perhaps attending the special proceedings of the National Assembly, Senator Raza Rabbani pounced on the opportunity for taking the ruling coalition to task and accusing them of conspiring against the incumbent prime minister.

"What are the special proceedings now when the budget has been passed? Are they now working for the removal of the prime minister?" said Senator Rabbani.

Senator Farhatullah Babur asked the chairman to pass strictures against the ministers as the proceedings could not take place in their absence. Senator Latif Khosa also insisted for the presence of the interior minister.

Agreeing to the contention of the members of the committee, chairman SM Zafar said he would take action against the law minister but not against the interior minister as he was not informed by the secretariat to attend the meeting.

Senator Dr Khalid Ranjha suggested that the Council of Islamic Ideology should also be taken on board the committee. He said previously the recommendations on Hudood laws could not be implemented due to fear of religious backlash.

Senator Latif Khosa suggested that Pakistan Bar Council should also be consulted on the issue as they have done considerable work in this regard. He said the relevant amendments to the controversial laws would have been made a long time ago but for fear of reaction of the Mullahs. He seconded the recommendation of Dr Ranjha and said either the CII or a religious scholar be included in the committee.

Nilofar Bakhtiar said instead of the CII, which does not even have a copy of the recommendations of the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW), the religious minister should be included in the committee.

The NCSW chairperson, Justice (retired) Majida Rizvi, challenged the contention of Ms Nilofar Bakhtiar and said copies of the recommendations were sent to each and every institution, including the CII. "I am not sure if they have thrown away the copies," she said.

Earlier, in the day when the proceedings started, Senator Raza Rabbani made a strong argument for the presence of media throughout the proceedings of the committee. Rejecting the suggestion that media should be allowed only during the briefing and not to cover the entire proceedings, he said it would not promote transparency in governance.