ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Mian Raza Rabbani on Monday claimed in the upper house that the government cannot eradicate terrorism through military courts.

During a discussion regarding the terrorist attack on Army Public School in Peshawar, the PPP senator said the govt had failed to implement the national security policy to fight terrorism which it had announced in February this year.

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“The government announced a decision to allocate Rs32 billion for the national security policy budget but has failed to do so thus far,” he said.

Rabbani also said the govt was unable to stop the publishing of hate literature despite the presence of laws against it.

“We will observe the govt’s performance regarding the arrest of those involved in publishing of hate material during the next 15 days,” he added.

“I believe there was nothing new in the 20-point agenda announced by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as it was the summary of the national security policy which was already announced by Interior Minister Chudhary Nisar Ali Khan,” Rabbani added.

The senator said that the interior minister had asked the provincial govts of Sindh, KP and Balochistan to call army under article 245 of the constitution as a rapid response while the govt had already decided to establish military courts.

Rabbani also warned there were news reports that the govt is planning to curtail article 8 of the Constitution.

“Do you think there is any need of the Parliament in present circumstances...I think we should resign as parliamentarians as well,” he said.

Earlier, PPP Senator Kazim Khan also rejected the decision of the govt regarding military courts.

“The PML-N leadership should learn lessons from its past experience regarding military courts,” Khan added.

Meanwhile, BNP-A Senator Kalsoom Parveen said that the govt should take steps to register Afghan nationals across the country.

She also demanded of the government to call a joint session of Parliament to discuss the issue in detail.

“The government should directed the PTA to take steps to block illegal SIMs while the registration of seminaries is the need of the hour,” the BNP-A senator added.