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ISLAMABAD: A PPP Senator Mian Raza Rabbani on Thursday presented eight proposals in the Senate on how to curb the spiralling violence in Karachi and urged the Sindh government to take stringent measures against terrorists after taking all political and religious parties on board.
The senator lamented the law and order situation in Balochistan and Karachi in particular and across Pakistan in general was extremely worrying for the nation. Rabbani claimed the measures taken by the government so far were insufficient and could not produce desired results.
“Time is over for persisting with the policy of running with the hare and hunting with the hound. It is time for the state and its institutions to decide in which direction Pakistan will move forward: as per the speech of the Quaid-e-Azam that he delivered on August 11, 1947 or in the form of a military or a garrison state, as the national security priorities have already changed,” the senator asserted.
Rabbani also referred to certain foreign think tanks’ reports regarding a change in the geographical boundaries of Pakistan and warned that things were unfortunately moving in that direction. He made mention of adoption of resolutions in the US and at seminars, saying these were also part of the whole ploy.
He noted that a similar strategy was unleashed for the break-up of former Soviet Union: weakening of the state institutions, rendering them redundant and then the imperialist forces played their game.
On the same pattern, Rabbani said first Parliament and parliamentarians were targeted and then the judiciary to trigger a clash between Parliament and the judiciary. He said efforts were also made to ridicule the armed forces.
The PPP senator wanted accountability of the corrupt generals and said retired generals should be tried in civilian courts. He opposed the corrupt generals’ reinstatement for investigation and trial.
Regarding the wave of terrorism, he said the state would have to take a decision with one voice to take on those forces bent on destabilising Pakistan. He noted a mini-state of insurgency was also under way in some provinces, as pointed out by the ministry of interior.
The legislator from Karachi was the 25th speaker, who expressed his views on the debate that began on September 06. Majority of speakers were from the treasury benches, who indirectly expressed no confidence in the government steps to curb target killings and other acts of violence. The Senate again could not see winding up of the debate on the law and order and target killings in Karachi, Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan, as interior minister Rehman Malik though present in the House, was indisposed.
PML-N senators staged a token walkout against an alleged police raid on the residence of Talal Bugti, son of late Nawab Akbar Bugti, who heads Jamhoori Watan Party and maltreatment of Dr Ramesh (a minority leader of JWP) on the dayof Diwali. Senator Mushahid Ullah Khan raised the issue on a point of order and strongly condemned it. He regretted that the police had so far not even registered FIRs in this context.
The PPP senator while speaking on the motion on law and order cautioned that Pakistan today stood at a crossroad of its history and it must decide its future direction. He contended that certain forces wanted to prove that Pakistan was unmanageable and ungovernable by the democratic forces, as they had a target in sight, which was known to all. “This situation warranted that all the stake-holders should evolve consensus on taking a final decision on Pakistan’s future,” he said.
Presenting his proposals, the senator said:
1. Sindh government should evolve consensus among political and religious parties for stringent measures like not sparing a person or a group found involved in acts of terrorism, taking along all the stakeholders.
2. The provincial government should form committees, consisting of MPAs and be made responsible for peace in their respective areas.
3. The coordination between the intelligence agencies, including the inter-provincial agencies should be enhanced to stem inflow and outflow of unwarranted elements.
4. Those held as suspects of terrorism must not be freed from police station, instead they should be set free by courts and the arrested should be produced before magistrates and be assured of a free trial.
5. Postings of SHOs should not be made on the basis of political recommendations as such officers would not be able to ensure enforcement of the rule of law.
6. The law-enforcement agencies should have cell phone tracking facility.
7. The role of Citizen-Police Liaison Committee should be enhanced.
8. The coverage and quality of close circuit TV should be increased.
After Rabbani’s speech, Rehman Malik rose to wind up the debate and then urged the chairman Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari to let him do so Friday, as he was ill and also had bad throat. As he started his speech within five minutes he wanted a glass of water. On this, several senators proposed he should wind up the debate Friday.
The senator lamented the law and order situation in Balochistan and Karachi in particular and across Pakistan in general was extremely worrying for the nation. Rabbani claimed the measures taken by the government so far were insufficient and could not produce desired results.
“Time is over for persisting with the policy of running with the hare and hunting with the hound. It is time for the state and its institutions to decide in which direction Pakistan will move forward: as per the speech of the Quaid-e-Azam that he delivered on August 11, 1947 or in the form of a military or a garrison state, as the national security priorities have already changed,” the senator asserted.
Rabbani also referred to certain foreign think tanks’ reports regarding a change in the geographical boundaries of Pakistan and warned that things were unfortunately moving in that direction. He made mention of adoption of resolutions in the US and at seminars, saying these were also part of the whole ploy.
He noted that a similar strategy was unleashed for the break-up of former Soviet Union: weakening of the state institutions, rendering them redundant and then the imperialist forces played their game.
On the same pattern, Rabbani said first Parliament and parliamentarians were targeted and then the judiciary to trigger a clash between Parliament and the judiciary. He said efforts were also made to ridicule the armed forces.
The PPP senator wanted accountability of the corrupt generals and said retired generals should be tried in civilian courts. He opposed the corrupt generals’ reinstatement for investigation and trial.
Regarding the wave of terrorism, he said the state would have to take a decision with one voice to take on those forces bent on destabilising Pakistan. He noted a mini-state of insurgency was also under way in some provinces, as pointed out by the ministry of interior.
The legislator from Karachi was the 25th speaker, who expressed his views on the debate that began on September 06. Majority of speakers were from the treasury benches, who indirectly expressed no confidence in the government steps to curb target killings and other acts of violence. The Senate again could not see winding up of the debate on the law and order and target killings in Karachi, Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan, as interior minister Rehman Malik though present in the House, was indisposed.
PML-N senators staged a token walkout against an alleged police raid on the residence of Talal Bugti, son of late Nawab Akbar Bugti, who heads Jamhoori Watan Party and maltreatment of Dr Ramesh (a minority leader of JWP) on the dayof Diwali. Senator Mushahid Ullah Khan raised the issue on a point of order and strongly condemned it. He regretted that the police had so far not even registered FIRs in this context.
The PPP senator while speaking on the motion on law and order cautioned that Pakistan today stood at a crossroad of its history and it must decide its future direction. He contended that certain forces wanted to prove that Pakistan was unmanageable and ungovernable by the democratic forces, as they had a target in sight, which was known to all. “This situation warranted that all the stake-holders should evolve consensus on taking a final decision on Pakistan’s future,” he said.
Presenting his proposals, the senator said:
1. Sindh government should evolve consensus among political and religious parties for stringent measures like not sparing a person or a group found involved in acts of terrorism, taking along all the stakeholders.
2. The provincial government should form committees, consisting of MPAs and be made responsible for peace in their respective areas.
3. The coordination between the intelligence agencies, including the inter-provincial agencies should be enhanced to stem inflow and outflow of unwarranted elements.
4. Those held as suspects of terrorism must not be freed from police station, instead they should be set free by courts and the arrested should be produced before magistrates and be assured of a free trial.
5. Postings of SHOs should not be made on the basis of political recommendations as such officers would not be able to ensure enforcement of the rule of law.
6. The law-enforcement agencies should have cell phone tracking facility.
7. The role of Citizen-Police Liaison Committee should be enhanced.
8. The coverage and quality of close circuit TV should be increased.
After Rabbani’s speech, Rehman Malik rose to wind up the debate and then urged the chairman Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari to let him do so Friday, as he was ill and also had bad throat. As he started his speech within five minutes he wanted a glass of water. On this, several senators proposed he should wind up the debate Friday.
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