RAWALPINDI: Mr Mohammad Shoaib, Finance Minister, declared today [Nov 22] that the nation’s defence has the top priority over all other requirements. “Everything else is subordinate to the over-riding need for ensuring the safety, security and integrity of Pakistan,” he said.

The Finance Minister, who was presenting the Supplementary Finance Bill for 1965-66 in the National Assembly, informed the House that in addition to the Budget allocation already made for the year, over Rs. 100 crore more would be available for defence expenditure.

The Minister added the nation can rest assured that our beloved President, who is also the Supreme Commander of our Armed Forces, will unerringly determine the correct order of priorities in all these matters.

[Meanwhile, as reported by our Special Representative from Rawalpindi,] the Constitutional (Fifth Amendment) Bill, providing for suspension of the fundamental rights during an emergency and taking away the power of writ from all courts, crossed the first hurdle in the National Assembly today when it completed the first reading of the Bill. The House was discussing the Bill clause by clause when it rose.

Initiating the discussion, the Law Minister, Syed Mohammad Zafar, said that in a grave emergency like the one created by the Indian aggression the interests of the State reign supreme and individuals have to surrender their fundamental rights.

He said the Bill, which was designed only to remove constitutional lacuna, did not go beyond what was universally recognised under similar situations. Individuals had to submit to national interests when the existence of the State was involved.

In the course of a convincing introductory speech the Law Minister pointed out that the Government endeavour was to act within the bounds of the laws on the statute and nothing had been done even during the emergency which would violate the laws on the statute.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2015