ISLAMABAD, Aug 24: Senate Chairman Muhammadmian Soomro on Tuesday stopped short of referring the breach of privilege case against Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat to the rules and privileges committee
, as Senators from the treasury and opposition benches joined hands to claim breach of privilege of the House.
Mr Soomro cooled down the angry senators by assuring them that he would personally attend to the matter after Leader of the House Wasim Sajjad said the chairman should call the parties concerned and sort out the matter instead of referring it to the committee.
The issue of breach of privilege arose as Senators from the treasury benches raised the issue of Bahria Town and asked the chairman Standing Committee on Interior, Senator Ayaz Mandokhel, to explain the ministry's position in this regard.
Senator Ayaz Mandokhel said the interior minister had an insulting attitude towards the committee and he had not attend its proceedings on a number of occasions. He said the minister had also directed his staff not to attend the committee meetings.
Leader of Democratic Alliance in the Senate Senator Raza Rabbani, Senator Safdar Abbassi and senators from the treasury benches including Kamil Ali Agha and Akram Wali pointed out the breach of privilege of the House due to minister's attitude.
The Senate chairman agreed with the contention of Senator Abbassi that it was a serious matter and amounted to insult of the House. Senator Abbassi said the chairman should not bail out the ministers as it had been happening for the past one and a half years.
He said if the chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior was not respected by the minister and he had pointed it on the floor of the House, then what was the use of the Senate.
He said the attitude of the interior minister was not only a breach of privilege of the committee but also of the House. He said if the chairman did not want to refer the matter to the committee on rules and privileges, he should declare the whole House to be the committee and try the minister on the floor of the House.
Senator Kamil Ali Agha said the respect and dignity of the House had to be restored. Earlier, speaking on a point of order, Senator Kulsoom Parveen from the treasury benches said the "land mafia run by Malik Riaz" had disgraced women in Shahpur by pulling their hair and dragging them. The senator levelled the serious allegation on the floor of the Upper House, demanding action against the private concern.
Senator Parveen said human lives had been lost and Pakistan Navy should explain if it was involved with Bahria Town in any way. She said if Pakistan Navy was not involved with Bahria Town, why the name Bahria was being used by the private concern without any check.
Minister for Environment Tahir Iqbal while trying to clarify the position of the defence services said Pakistan Navy had withdrawn from the Bahria Town project. He said the matter was in a court of law.
Another member from the treasury benches, Senator Gulshan Saeed, said since she came in the Senate, she had been hearing about killing of people by the land mafia. Senator Gulshan said she had lists of hundred of persons whose lands, she claimed, had been grabbed by the Bahria Town administration.
Former law minister and member of the ruling party Senator Dr Khalid Ranjha said Bahria Town was another scam in the making which should be checked.
He said the use of name Bahria was a criminal offence and even an ordinary police officer could take cognizance of the crime. He said the relevant authorities should pass an order for action to be taken against the Bahria Town administration.
