ISLAMABAD: A clear divide between the liberal and conservative elements was witnessed in the Senate on Monday during a debate on two major attacks on security forces by the Taliban over the past two days and functioning of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII).

Senators from the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Awami National Party (ANP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) lashed out at the government for its inaction and asked it to order an army operation against Taliban in the wake of terror attacks on security forces in Bannu and Rawalpindi.

The opposition senators asked the government to take the nation and parliament into confidence about progress in talks with Taliban, alleging that Taliban were regrouping because of “unclear and confused policies” of rulers.

“If the army obeys you and recognises the constitution, then use it. Why personnel of security forces are being made a sitting duck?,” said MQM’s retired Col Tahir Mashhadi, condemning the government for not taking action against Taliban terrorists despite the fact that they were carrying out attacks in all parts of the country on a regular basis.

Expressing concern over the government’s inaction even after regular attacks on security forces and political and religious leaders by Taliban, the ANP’s Afrasiab Khattak regretted that those carrying out attacks were freely operating in a country which was a nuclear power and had a huge army.

Hafiz Hamdullah of the JUI-F questioned allocation of the huge budget for defence purposes, saying if security forces could not monitor and control two borders and maintain peace in tribal areas then what was the purpose of spending heavy sums of money on them.

Condemning the attack on security forces in Bannu, he said that first security agencies should be held accountable for the security lapse.

PPP’s Raza Rabbani demanded a joint session of parliament to discuss the national security policy, saying such issues should be discussed in the parliament instead of all parties’ conferences.

Earlier, the Senate witnessed a heated debate on the functioning of the CII after PPP’s Farhatullah Babar’s remarks that there was no need for the Council after completion of its task and submission of its final report in 1997.

“The CII has completed its task assigned in the 1973 Constitution, and there is no point in the continuation of this additional advisory body, over and above the Federal Shariat Court, and whose pronouncements have only added confusion,” Mr Babar said.

The CII declared in May last year that DNA test results were not acceptable as primary evidence in cases of rape even though it was admissible as evidence in courts across the world.

MQM’s Tahir Mashhadi endorsed Mr Babar’s viewpoint and said no one should do politics in the name of Islam.

A number of members from the ruling PML-N and the JUI-F rejected arguments made by members calling for disbanding the CII.