ISLAMABAD, June 16: Opposition in the Senate on Thursday questioned the role of intelligence agencies in the incidents of sectarian violence in the country in the wake of arrest of a sensitive agency official with explosives. Speaking on an adjournment motion, People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) Senator Farhatullah Babar said a man, Imtiaz Hussain, son of Shah Ahmed, who was described as an official of a sensitive agency, had reportedly been arrested from the Pir Wadhai area of Rawalpindi with explosives.

Referring to a report of a Senate standing committee issued on Sept 26, 1994, which stated that one major cause of sectarian violence in the country was the involvement of Pakistani and foreign intelligence agencies, Senator Babar stressed the need for a strict check on the activities of intelligence agencies such as Military Intelligence (MI), Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Federal Investigative Agency (FIA).

Prof Khurshid Ahmed of the MMA said it was a serious matter and was of the view that intelligence agencies had indulged in activities beyond their mandate.

Dr Mohammad Saeed sought government’s explanation about media reports that Pakistan’s intelligence agencies had sought cooperation from Israeli agencies to combat terrorism. However, no response was given to his point of order.

Later, speaking on another adjournment motion, Farhatullah Babar highlighted the plight of imprisoned women and juvenile prisoners. Giving figures, he said there were 185 women and 26 children in Adiyala Jail, Rawalpindi, which had the capacity of only 50 prisoners.

Similarly, he said, 262 women and 40 children were lodged in Karachi jail which had the capacity of 105 prisoners. In Multan, he said, 273 women had been kept in the jail with a capacity for 104.

The PPP senator said that according to government’s own data, over 2,500 juveniles had been kept in death cells in various parts in violation of the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance 2002.

Mr Babar said the issue needed discussion on the floor of the house so that amendments to rules or administrative measures could be made to alleviate the sufferings of women in jails.

Minister of State for Law and Justice Shahid Bhinder said though it was a provincial matter, the government was considering it seriously.

Presiding Officer Dr Khalid Ranjha in his ruling said as the Human Rights Committee of the Senate was already reviewing the condition of jails, further discussions could be held when its report was presented before the house.

Later, the Senate passed two bills — The Illegal Dispossession Bill 2005 and the Pakistan Navy (Amendment) Bill 2005 — which had already been passed by the National Assembly.

Under the Illegal Dispossession Bill 2005, the session courts have been given powers to direct the police to hold an inquiry into any complaint regarding illegal land possession. It will only after getting a report from the police, the courts can move forward in such cases.

Opposing the bill, opposition senators criticized the government for involving police in the matter. Leader of the Opposition Raza Rabbani and PPP’s Farooq Naek said they were not against the logic behind the bill, but it had been poorly drafted.

Farhatullah Babar said the bill was defective as it dealt only with individual land grabbers and there was no mention of the land grabbing by an institution. He said in Pakistan land grabbing took place in an ‘institutional manner’.

He said these institutions even manipulated laws to justify their illegal possession of state lands. Mr Babar said in the past, several illegal land possessions had been given legal cover through executive orders.

The Pakistan Navy (Amendment) Bill 2005 aims at imposing fine in addition to imprisonment to recover the loss caused to the state by service personnel. The bill proposed that sections 53, 54, 56, 63, 64 and 65 of the Pakistan Navy Ordinance, 1961, may be streamlined with the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Air Force laws on imposition of fine.

Earlier, chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs Mushahid Hussain presented a report of the committee on members’ visit to Germany, Belgium and the UK in April this year.