ISLAMABAD: The government on Friday defended its decision to invoke Article 245 of the constitution to call out the army in aid of the civil power in the federal capital as the joint opposition in the Senate staged a walkout as a mark of protest against the move.

Speaking on a point of order, PPP leader Senator Mian Raza Rabbani said the government had taken an extremely unnecessary step when the house was not in session.

Defending the decision, Federal Minister for Safron Abdul Qadir Baloch said the army would make it sure that a few thousand people did not occupy the Prime Minister House, PM Secretariat, Presidency or radio and television stations.

“Do the critics of the decision want twenty thousand or one hundred thousand people come and take control of the prime minister house or the parliament house,” he asked.

Govt says army will act only if police fail to handle any security situation

The remarks were surprising for many who believed it was a direct admission that the decision was linked with the long march of the PTI - a proposition vehemently rejected by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.

Mr Baloch said people had reposed their confidence in the PML-N through the ballot and the government was there to stay for five years.

“We will not bow down,” he stated.

He was of the opinion that fundamental rights of the citizens in Islamabad were intact.

The deployment of the army for the security of sensitive installations and buildings has been provided legal cover by the invocation of Article 245.

He said the army would come in the picture only if the police and civil armed forces failed to handle the situation.

Earlier, Raza Rabbani deplored that the decision followed claims by the government in general and the interior minister in particular that Islamabad was a safe city.

He said the enforcement of Article 245 would take away the high court’s review jurisdiction.

He recalled that article had also been invoked during the tenure of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto but it was recognised as a mistake. “We should learn a lesson from the political mistakes of the past,” he remarked.

He said the army could have been called in aid of the civil power under Section 131 of the Criminal Procedure Code without affecting the fundamental rights of the citizens, which he claimed stood suspended.

Mr Rabbani said he, Kulsoom Parveen, Haji Adeel and Afrasiab Khattak during their recent meeting with the prime minister had made it clear that there was no justification for the enforcement of Article 245 and demanded reversal of the decision.

He asked the chair to continue discussion on the invocation of Article 245 on Monday as well, as parliamentary leaders and members of political parties wanted to express their views on the issue.

“It does not suit a democratic government to usurp fundamental rights of the people,” he remarked before the joint opposition staged a walkout.

The federal minister for Safron and Mushahidullah Khan tried to convince the opposition to come back but they refused to attend the proceedings.

The deputy chairman insisted Humayun Mandokhel to take the floor who hesitantly made brief remarks about the issue.

He said despite being a member from the ruling coalition, he cannot endorse the government decision to call out the army. “Such decisions induce the army to capture power,” he remarked.

The Senate also unanimously adopted a resolution condemning the continuing genocide of the people of Gaza, particularly children and women.

The house recalled that Israel continued to attack homes, schools, mosques, hospitals and target women and children in blatant violation of the Geneva Convention and international laws.

It was noted that these acts of Israel continued unabated and were a deliberate defiance to the obligations that the international law imposed on state and fell within the category of crime against humanity and state terrorism.

It was regretted that the western capitals, UN and world leaders had failed to get this genocide stopped. “It is disturbing that Muslim countries and the OIC are unmoved,” the resolution added.The house through the resolution called upon the government to pursue an aggressive diplomatic offensive to have these mass murders stopped and have the inhuman blockade of Gaza lifted immediately.

Kulsoom Parveen remarked that Pakistan needed a foreign minister like late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. As she saw Finance Minister Ishaq Dar entering the house and mentioned his arrival, the deputy chairman asked if she was proposing Dar’s name for the foreign ministry.

On this, Mushahid Hussain of the PML-Q said there were already five and a half foreign ministers, including Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar having a part-time role to play.

Ishaq Dar said the portfolio was with the prime minister, Sartaj Aziz was the adviser on foreign affairs and Tariq Fatimi had the status of the minister of state.

The house will meet again at 4pm on Monday.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2014