Tag: Senate Committee

  • Senate Committee approves bill mandating three-year imprisonment for unapproved protests in Islamabad

    Senate Committee approves bill mandating three-year imprisonment for unapproved protests in Islamabad

    The Senate Standing Committee of Interior, presided by Senator Faisal Saleem Rahman, has approved a bill pertaining to rallies in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad.

    The bill reads that protests will occur in the Islamabad-connected area of Sangjani or other specified areas where the government referred. Without permission, protest organisers and participants will be punished with three years of imprisonment.

    Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) Senator Irfan Siddiqui debated the bill, saying it is intended to legalise protests in Islamabad and will be implemented only in the capital territory.

    He further said that containers are still on Islamabad roads, creating trouble for people. He emphasised that the government needed to allocate a designated place for protests.

    Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri clarified that the bill’s purpose is not to target any political party.

    Senator Saifullah Abro said that according to the Pakistan constitution, every citizen has the right to peaceful protest.

  • Karachi’s Mangroves, vital for the city, are depleting, Senate Committee told

    In the wake of an incident of deforestation being reported in the Mangrove forest of Manora, Karachi, the Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change headed by Senator Seeme Ezdi paid a visit to the WWF-P Wetland Centre at Hawke’s Bay. The delegation included Senator Muhammad Humayun Mohmand, Senator Khalida Ateeb, Senator Abida Muhammad Azeem, and Senator Keshubai.

    Committee members were briefed by WWF-P Director Hammad Naqi Khan and Chief Conservator of Forests Riaz Ahmed Wagan on the efforts made for rehabilitation and conservation of the mangrove forests along the coastline.

    Mangroves are the biggest source of preventing climate vulnerability of Pakistan in form of tsunami, cyclones and storms.

    The committee was told that the forest cover in the Indus Delta that was reduced to less than 86,000 hectares in 2005 has now increased to over 2,40,000 hectares in 2023.

    On the other hand, the mangroves around Karachi have reduced from 2,000 hectares in 2010 to 18,00 hectares today, with housing and commercial enterprises encroaching on the land.

    However, the aim is to increase the area to 5,00,000 hectares in coming years.

    Senior Manager Conservation WWF Sindh Altaf Sheikh delineated the committee about different programmes in Pakistan which include ongoing work on 18 different landscapes from mountains to mangroves. The Indus Delta being the fifth largest arid ecosystem hosts the seventh largest mangrove forest in the world contributing 98 percent of shrimp catch and more than 77 percent of marine fish.

    Major challenges include sea intrusion and soil erosion amplified by deforestation resulting in the severe loss of biodiversity too.

    The senators also highlighted the importance of mangroves by talking about the financial and environmental significance. A single hector can earn thousands of dollars and carbon credits which are more crucial and is already standing on a steady number of $40 million.

  • Human trafficked beggars from Pakistan arrested in alarming numbers abroad

    Human trafficked beggars from Pakistan arrested in alarming numbers abroad

    The Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis was briefed on a concerning issue whereby a significant number of beggars are being trafficked abroad. Zulfikar Haider, the Secretary of the Overseas Ministry, brought this matter to light during a Senate panel discussion centred on the migration of both skilled and unskilled labourers from Pakistan.

    Haider revealed that an alarming 90 percent of beggars apprehended in foreign countries happen to be Pakistani nationals. This predicament has led to a notable strain on foreign jails, with reports from the ambassadors of Iraq and Saudi Arabia attesting to the overcrowding of their detention facilities due to these arrests.

    During the course of the discussion, Secretary Haider also pointed out a troubling trend where Japan has emerged as a newfound destination for such beggars.

    According to ARY News, Senator Rana Mehmoodul Hasan highlighting the varying demands placed on Japan for skilled workers from different countries, including India, Nepal, and Pakistan, each sending a distinct number of individuals to meet these demands.

    Senator Hasan further raised the issue of unemployment among engineers in Pakistan, highlighting that a staggering 50,000 engineers in the country are currently without employment opportunities.

    In the context of the Middle East, the senator provided statistics, noting that approximately three million Pakistanis reside in Saudi Arabia, while another 1.5 million have sought employment in the UAE, with an additional 0.2 million in Qatar.

    It is imperative to underscore that beggar syndicates are also exploiting minors, subjecting them to harsh weather conditions for personal gain. These syndicates have devised new tactics to extract money from people, contributing to a distressing trend whereby the number of beggars has doubled within a mere three-year span, as per recent reports.

  • Economic situation worse than expected, subsidies not feasible: Finance Minister

    Economic situation worse than expected, subsidies not feasible: Finance Minister

    In the midst of Pakistan’s ongoing battle with rising prices, the country’s interim Finance Minister, Shamshad Akhtar, issued a strong warning on Wednesday. She pointed out that Pakistan’s economic situation is even “worse” than expected, and the government can’t afford to provide subsidies to the public due to financial constraints.

    According to DAWN, Akhtar made these comments during a meeting of the Senate’s Standing Committee on Finance. She explained that the current government had inherited a programme from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that couldn’t be changed.

    This announcement comes at a time when Pakistan is facing high living costs, especially expensive electricity bills that have led to protests across the country.

    The government has struggled to find ways to help while also maintaining good relations with the IMF. The caretaker government, which is temporarily in charge, hasn’t been able to come up with clear solutions to ease the situation.

    In a recent meeting chaired by Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar, the government expressed that it’s not sure how to solve the issue. They even discussed the possibility of letting people pay their electricity bills in smaller portions over time, but this would need permission from the IMF.

    Interim Information Minister Murtaza Solangi mentioned that discussions are ongoing with the IMF to find relief measures for people struggling with high electricity bills. An official announcement about this is expected soon.

    However, it’s important to note that even if the option of paying bills in smaller portions is pursued, it still needs approval from the IMF. This underscores the IMF’s influence on Pakistan’s economic decisions.

    Minister Akhtar, while speaking to the Senate’s Standing Committee on Finance, highlighted the substantial losses faced by government institutions. She stressed the need to sell off some government-owned assets to alleviate financial pressure. Currently, a large portion of Pakistan’s tax earnings goes toward repaying debt. Moreover, the Pakistani rupee is facing challenges due to a shortage of dollars coming in and a high amount going out of the country.

    Akhtar also expressed concern that if Pakistan doesn’t follow the IMF’s agreement, the country might stop receiving dollars, leading to an even worse economic situation. She admitted that the government has taken actions that weakened the economy. She mentioned that the Federal Board of Revenue is not collecting as much as it should while expenses remain high.

    The finance minister clarified that the caretaker government doesn’t have unlimited power. They are restricted in their actions and must work within those limits.

    She also pointed out that any changes to the existing IMF agreement, made by the previous government, are not possible for the current administration. She mentioned that the government is considering reducing benefits for the wealthy, and a detailed update on the economy will be provided to the committee within a week.

    Before the finance minister’s comprehensive briefing, several committee members expressed concerns about the rising value of the dollar and the high electricity bills. Senator Kamil Ali Agha insisted that taxes added to electricity bills should be removed immediately, arguing that the entire country shouldn’t suffer due to a few people’s actions.

  • Senate body approves public hanging of child rapists

    Senate body approves public hanging of child rapists

    The Senate Standing Committee on Interior has passed a bill that suggested public hangings of child abusers by seeking amendments in sections 376 and 377 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

    The bill was moved by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Javed Abbasi. As per the proposed legislation, the high courts should conduct trials of the rape cases involving children within 30 days.

    It further says that the Supreme Court should adjudicate the appeals pertaining to these cases within 60 days.

    The bill, if converted into an act of parliament, will also close doors on a compromise by the families of the children who become victims of sexual abuse.

    Dawn quoted the draft of the bill as such: “Whoever commits [child sexual abuse] be punished with death or imprisonment for life without parole till death and shall also be liable to fine.”

    Under a proposed amendment to Section 377 of the PPC, whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any boy under 18 years of age shall be punished with death or imprisonment for life without parole till death and shall also be liable to fine.

    “Rape is a heinous crime; an act of violence that ruins the lives of victims. In Pakistan, rape cases are reported and registered; however, conviction rates of the accused are abysmally low. Recent events relating to sexual abuse and rape throughout the country, particularly against children, have necessitated that tough punishments should be meted out to perpetrators.

    “Current penalties are less compared to the magnitude of the crime. The bill aims to increase the punishment of rape as one of the deterrent to this heinous crime,” reads the statement of objects and reasons.

    During the proceedings of the Senate panel, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and Leader of House Senator Shahzad Waseem staged a walkout. Waseem told the newspaper that he had opposed the bill because the government was bringing an ordinance over the same issue.

    However, Senate body Chairman Rehman Malik said that the ordinance should be clubbed with bill during the stage of its consideration.

  • LGS Harassment: Senate Committee takes notice, invites parents to attend meeting

    Senate Human Rights Committee has taken the notice of sexual harassment incidents at the Lahore Grammar School and will hold a meeting in this regard on July 22.

    Senate Human Rights Committee Chairperson and PPP Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar shared details of the meeting and said that “parents of the students who were concerned with the way investigations have progressed so far” can also attend the meeting.

    The agenda of the meeting will be to brief the Senate body on the incidents and the actions taken after the allegations by the Punjab Education secretary, LGS principal, and Lahore DPO.

    Speaking to The Current about the matter Senator Khokhar said, “[These incidents are] deeply disturbing. One wonders where we are headed as a society with crimes of sexual assault and harassment on the rise.”

    He added: “[We are] waiting to hear from the authorities and the outcome of their investigations so far, whether cases have been registered against offenders and whether any action has been taken by the education ministry or school for incidents like this not to happen again.”

    Read More – Meesha Shafi extends support to victims of harassment at Lahore school

    On June 28, dozens of girls came forward with accounts of harassment and inappropriate behaviour by teachers at LGS 1A1 Ghalib Market Branch. The management of the school, including female teachers, also came under fire for brushing the matter under the carpet for years. It is pertinent to mention here that most of the girls studying at the school were minors at the time.

    Such incidents had reportedly been going on for the past four or five years and the victims had been reporting the matter to the admin and their teachers. However, they took no action and resorted to victim-blaming. Strict action was only taken after the girls shared their ordeal on social media and the matter became public.

    According to details, students have come forward and shared their experiences of being harassed by three teachers namely Aitezaz Rehman Sheikh, Umer Shareef and Zahid Iqbal Warraich. All three teachers were fired soon after the allegations surfaced.

    Following the uproar on social media, Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari had said that she has taken serious notice of the allegations. The Punjab government had also said that they will hand exemplary punishments to the perpetrators and make an example of them.