ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry announced in the Senate on Wednesday that additional security for members of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) that probed the Panama Papers scam would be withdrawn.

During the question hour, he said there were reports that the JIT members were getting security more than they needed, adding that even their children were escorted by a Rangers vehicle when they went to buy vegetables.

“We will verify this and only the security asked for by the Supreme Court will be provided to them and additional security will be withdrawn,” he added.

Talal Chaudhry justifies security provided to Nawaz Sharif, Asif Zardari; senators call for re-verification of census blocks

In reply to a question, Mr Chaudhry justified the security given to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and ex-president Asif Ali Zardari and said protocol and security were two separate things.

He said Mr Sharif was facing threats because he had led the war against terrorism from the front and did a lot for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. Likewise, he added, Mr Zardari was also facing threats. He recalled that a former prime minister of the country had been killed in a terrorist attack.

Giving details about the security provided to presidents, prime ministers, chief justices, chairmen Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and three services chiefs after their retirement, Mr Chaudhry said an ex-president was entitled to two escort vehicles comprising one upper subordinate (ASI/SI) and four lower subordinates (head constable/constable) during his movement in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). Moreover, round-the-clock security (four constables under the supervision of an ASI) was also provided at ex-president’s residence during his stay in ICT, he added.

The minister said that one escort vehicle with strength of 1-4 upper subordinate and lower subordinate was provided to an ex-PM during his movement in Islamabad, besides round-the-clock security of four constables under the supervision of an ASI.

He said round-the-clock security at residence and one gunman on a permanent basis were provided to a retired chief justice of Pakistan, while security to the CJSC and three services chiefs was provided by the Ministry of Defence after their retirement.

The replies to the questions relating to banned militant organisations brought into focus the soft treatment meted out to them on the one hand and skirting it altogether behind the generic ‘reply not received’ on the other.

When Senator Farhatullah Babar asked what role the interior ministry had played in repeatedly thwarting the United Nations move to impose sanctions on the chief of a banned outfit, the written reply said that the question was not specific and asked the senator to be more specific.

Mr Babar insisted that the question was very specific as everyone knew that the UN move to impose sanctions on Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar had been thwarted even though it was a banned outfit and the move should be welcomed. He expressed his surprise that on the hand the interior ministry claimed that it regularly received reports from intelligence agencies on the activities of banned organisations and, on the other, it was ignorant of how an outlawed outfit was sought to be protected from the UN sanctions.

At this, Mr Chaudhry said the matter related to the Foreign Office and the question should be directed to it.

Senator Babar pointed out that the FO had been saying that the question related to the interior ministry which was supposed to keep an eye on proscribed organisations.

When Senator Babar asked about the progress in the case of Mullah Akhtar Mansour who was killed in a drone attack last year in Balochistan, the written reply said his widow was still absconding and information was being collected from the office of Qillah Abdullah deputy commissioner and the National Database and Registration Authority’s headquarters in Quetta for the last over one year, adding that all the accused who had issued a national identity card and passport to the militant leader had since been bailed out as the case was under investigation.

Reply to the question about former spokesperson for the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and Jamaatul Ahrar Ehsanullah Ehsan was not received despite being on the list since June.

Presiding officer Syed Tahir Mashhadi said it reflected inefficiency on the part of the ministry.

But Senator Babar maintained that it could be a case of more than mere inefficiency. He said Ehsan had confessed to have slaughtered 150 schoolchildren of APS in cold blood and asked if any case had been registered against him as he was already in the custody of agencies and whether he would be tried in a military court.

Also on Wednesday, senators from all the provinces proposed the random re-verification of census data in selected parts of the country to ascertain the credibility of the released figures.

Taking part in discussion on an adjournment motion over reservations expressed by various quarters on the conduct of census, senators from both the sides of the aisle rejected the provisional results as flawed and said that showing the population below the actual figure would deprive provinces when it came to the distribution of resources.

PPP’s Taj Haider described the provisional results as manipulated, saying that Sindh’s population could not be less than 31pc of the country’s population, while that of Punjab could not be over 46pc.

Senators Shibli Faraz of PTI and Kamil Ali Agha of PML-Q termed the government’s reluctance in resolving the issue a conspiracy to delay the elections.

Rejecting the charge of manipulation, PML-N Senator Javed Abbasi pointed out that the census staff consisted of provincial government employees.

Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2017