ISLAMABAD: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Friday called for an immediate action against terrorists, observing that they must not be given a chance to reorganise and launch more attacks.

Speaking in the Senate, MQM’s parliamentary leader Babar Ghauri said the nation had authorised the prime minister to take action against terrorists but, he added, he could not understand what the government had been waiting for. No more consultations were required because terrorists were posing a threat to the nation and they must be treated like enemies, he said.

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Taking part in discussion on the president’s address to the joint sitting of parliament in June last year, he said all the points of the National Action Plan against terrorism should be implemented.

Mr Ghauri said sympathisers of those responsible for schoolchildren’s massacre in Peshawar had again started raising their voice and were openly threatening to resist madressah reform.

He said the purpose of the 18th Amendment could not be achieved. Though provinces had got rights and funds under the National Finance Commission (NFC), neither had power been devolved to the grassroots level, nor were resources being distributed judiciously. He said the house should pass a resolution on this matter as well.

Taking part in the discussion, Rafiq Rajwana of the ruling PML-N warned India not to misconstrue Pakistan’s desire for peace as its weakness.

He condemned the incident in which two personnel of Chenab Rangers were killed in firing by Indian forces.

Mr Rajwana said Pakistan was capable of facing any situation.

Rauf Lala of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) praised the government for attempts to improve ties with India. He regretted that minorities in the country had little protection, adding that this had forced a number of Hindus, Sikhs and members of other minority communities to migrate to other countries.

The house adopted a report of a sub-committee of the Senate’s Standing Committee on Commerce and Textiles. The report suggests bringing back to the country the non-Muslims of Pakistani origin who had moved to some 40 countries in 1947.

The house will meet again on Monday.

APP adds: Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Resources Jam Kamal Khan informed the house that the tariff of gas had not been changed.

Speaking on a calling attention notice, he said it was a misconception created by certain elements that the government had enhanced the price of gas from 10 to 65 per cent since it came to power.

He said there was a comprehensive mechanism to set gas tariff and there was a price committee which had made various slabs on using million British thermal unit (mmbtu) and consumers had to pay according to the consumption of units.

The minister said the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited and the Sui Southern Gas Pipelines Limited were under the shortfall of Rs62 billion and it because of this reason that the proposal of increasing gas price was under consideration.

He apprised the house that the gas production had been increased in the country due to initiatives taken by the government.

Answering a question about provision of gas to maximum areas of Balochistan, he said the government had taken several steps in this regard.

The calling attention notice was moved by Kamil Ali Agha, Mohammad Zahid Khan, Saeedul Hassan Mandokhail and Kalsoom Parveen.

Expressing reservations on a deal for import of LNG, Kamil Ali Agha threatened to go on a hunger strike if the government did not disclose all terms and conditions before finalising the deal.

Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2015

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