ISLAMABAD: The government on Friday tried to introduce in the Senate an amendment to a law but had to retreat when it was reminded that the law had already lapsed.

When Minister of State for Interior Baleeghur Rahman sought to move a bill seeking amendments to certain laws, Senator Farhatullah Babar of the Pakistan Peoples Party pointed out that these included the Protection of Pakistan Act (PoPA), 2014, which expired in July. “How can you amend a law which does not exist?” the PPP senator asked.

The minister conceded the mistake and withdrew the amendment to PoPA, but said the bill proposed amendments to various other laws, including the Pakistan Penal Code, 1860, the Police Act, 1861, the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, and the Qanoon-i-Shahadat Order, 1984, and suggested that it be referred to the standing committee concerned.

Bill seeking amendments to certain laws includes Protection of Pakistan Act

Interestingly, the National Assembly had already passed the bill without noticing that it included the amendment to a non-existing law.

Mr Rahman said PoPA had not lapsed when the bill had been sent to the Senate.

Senator Babar suggested that the bill be redrafted because otherwise it would have to be sent back to the National Assembly which would lead to a waste of time.

Senator Ahmad Hasan, who was chairing the session, however, referred the bill to the Senate’s Standing Committee on Interior.

Earlier, during the question hour, Senator Babar expressed his annoyance over non-reply of his question about the attack on the Pathankot airbase.

He had asked “whether the Indian government has provided the government of Pakistan with Pakistani mobile numbers as part of evidence in support of allegations of involvement of Pakistani individuals in the attack on Pathankot airbase in India. If so, the date on which the same were given and steps taken by the government to probe the matter so far”.

The PPP senator had also sought details of other information provided by the Indian government as evidence.

He regretted that four months had passed since he asked the question, but there was no reply. “Voices are being raised from parliament as you protect certain people,” he told the government.

He pointed out that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had given an assurance to India that Pakistan would help in investigations. The government’s attitude, he said, strengthened the doubt that it was not serious about taking action against militants. He accused the government of patronising militants and termed the situation alarming.

Leader of the House in the Senate Raja Zafarul Haq said it was inappropriate to doubt someone’s intentions.

Baleeghur Rahman assured the house that the question would be answered in the next session, saying the Foreign Office and intelligence agencies also had something to do with the matter.

In a written reply, the interior ministry said no proposal was under consideration to lift the ban on issuance of arms licences.

The house unanimously adopted a resolution authorising Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani to decide the names of six senators for representation in the Public Accounts Committee, in consultation with leaders of the opposition and the house.

Taking part in a debate on the presidential address to the joint sitting of parliament, Senator Usman Kakar accused the state of still following the policy of good and bad terrorists. He said Pakistan’s relations with its neigbouring countries were at the worst-ever level today.

Nouman Wazir of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf said his party was being blackmailed after the government failed to purchase it. Referring to the Panama Papers leaks, he said the claim that the offshore companies belonged to the prime minister’s son was nothing but an attempt to hoodwink the people.

Tahir Hussain Mashhadi of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement wondered why no steps had been taken to avert terrorist incidents when intelligence reports about these were already there. He said it was a black spot on the governance that the army had to be involved in improving the law and order situation across the country.

Mr Mashhadi alleged that mega projects in the country were accompanied by mega corruption, mega commission and mega profit. He regretted that the president had not mentioned the victims of enforced disappearances in his address.

Published in Dawn September 10th, 2016