Tag: Senate

  • Senate Interior Committee passes bill to decriminalise suicide in Pakistan

    Senate Interior Committee passes bill to decriminalise suicide in Pakistan

    The Senate Interior Committee has passed the bill for decriminalising suicide in Pakistan and demanded amendments in section 325 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). The bill was first introduced by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) member, Senator Shahadat Awan, in the Senate.

    It stated, “Whoever attempts to commit suicide and does any act towards the commission of such offence, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both.”

    Awan said that the families do not take suicide victims to hospitals in fear of police and other legal obstacles.

    The committee also recommended that the government should initiate psychological treatments for victims who take extreme action of attempting to end their lives.

    During the meeting, a senator from Balochistan Awami Party, Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti, said that suicide is forbidden in Islam but what should be done about those who survive during the suicide attempt.

    In response, Azam Nazeer Tarar from Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) said that there are other actions which are forbidden in Islam that are not accountable by law. He added that here we are talking about humanity.

  • Zardari, Nawaz, Maulana have all been ruined by one man: Saleem Safi

    Zardari, Nawaz, Maulana have all been ruined by one man: Saleem Safi

    Senior journalist Saleem Khan Safi, while speaking on Geo News programme, ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, said that there was one man who had ruined the politics for many in Pakistan. Safi was giving his analysis on the recent Senate fiasco after the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Amendment Bill 2021 was passed on January 28.

    “Zaradri, Nawaz Sharif aur Maulana sub ki siyasat ko aik banday nay fail kar diya hai [One man has led to the failure of Zardari, Nawaz Sharif, and Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman’s politics],” Safi said alluding to Chairman of Senate Sadiq Sanjrani.

    Safi went on to say that what happened in Senate on January 28 was a collective failure. “This is the failure of the Opposition that they could not devise a joint strategy against the government. This Opposition does not carry the traits of the Opposition. This entire matter was part of the script. It started with Yusuf Raza Gilani becoming the Leader of the Opposition, to the passing of various bills. Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari was the mastermind behind it all and he was the one who devised this script.”

    “Sanjrani is our friend and a respected man. There was a time when he was in charge of the complaint cell in Gilani’s government. Giani played a role in the script prepared by Bilawal and former president Asif Ali Zardari. I will consider Gilani’s resignation as part of the script as well,” added Safi.

    Senior journalist Fahd Husain, who also was part of the panel on the show, said, “This is very obvious that the Opposition was given a clear message that they will not block the [SBP Amendment] bill.”

    Agreeing with Safi, Husain said that how the events unfolded themselves makes it very obvious that everything that happened was pre-planned. “The way all this happened and the way the people went missing, they did not turn up, I will say that this was done in a rather crude manner. The Opposition should have taken advantage of this scenario and should have said that the government got the bill passed in an illegitimate manner, they [Opposition] have now got all this on themselves.”

    Husain further said that what happened in the Senate cannot be fully put on Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). He said that the mistrust built between Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) and PPP over Yusuf Raza Gilani becoming the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate is still there and we are witnessing history repeating itself.

    Anchorperson Shahzeb Khanzada asked Safi if the Opposition was a threat to the government. Safi said that the entire fuss of the Opposition was mainly to prove that they actually are the Opposition. Just like Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), all this suits the PPP. If early elections take place, the PPP is of the view that they might not get to rule Sindh as well. “All these marches are just tactics to prove themselves as the Opposition,” said Safi.

    “They [Oppostion] have not devised a concrete methodology towards their policies. We are ignoring the role of Sadiq Sanjrani in all this. If Zardari wants to rule completely, he should make Sanjrani chairman instead of Bilawal. If PDM wants success, they should make Sanjrani their leader,” said Safi.

  • PPP’s Gilani resigns as Leader of the Opposition in the Senate after absence from key session

    PPP’s Gilani resigns as Leader of the Opposition in the Senate after absence from key session

    Former Prime Minister (PM) Yusuf Raza Gilani announced in the Senate today that he has handed over his resignation to his party (PPP) as Leader of the Opposition in the Senate.

    Gilani’s statement comes after his absence from the Senate on January 28 when the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Amendment Bill 2021 was passed.

    Addressing Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjarai, Gilani said, “When the voting happened [on January 28], you adjourned the session for 30 minutes, which means you facilitated the government, not the Opposition. During the first round, the majority was of the Opposition. When the House assembled again for the vote, there was a tie.”

    “In the history of Pakistan Senate, it was the first time the Chairman senate had to give a vote. As a neutral person, you should have not done this. As the custodian of the House, you should have protected the rights of both sides of the House,” said Gilani.

    “The role of the Speaker and Chairman Senate has to be totally neutral. They cannot be biased in any way.”

    “I am not astonished by the harsh words of my opponents but I am astonished by the silence of my well-wishers. There are few ministers, if they would have said something [of this sort], it would have been an honour for me. But those who don’t have credibility, are turncoats, are saying that I helped the government. I am saying by your vote they won. At least the credit should be given to you [Sanjrani], not to me ke dhandali ho rahi hai [there is rigging]. There should be no rigging.”

    “In the end, I will say that I have already submitted my resignation to my party that I don’t want to be the Leader of the Opposition,” said Gilani.

    It is pertinent to mention here that it was Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) leader Dr Musadik Malik, who first pointed out the absence of Gilani from the Senate the day the SBP Amendment Bill 2021 was passed amid an outcry from the Opposition on suffering back-to-back defeats in the House, where it otherwise enjoys a dominating numerical strength.

    Taking to Twitter Malik said, “Leader of the Opposition Yusuf Raza Gilani is missing. One vote, i.e. of Mr Gilani, is missing and the bill to make Pakistan a slave of the IMF was passed. And those who made him Leader of the Opposition voted for the government.”

    Gilani later appeared on Geo News programme, ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, and said that he had not received the agenda of the Senate till 1am of the night between January 27 to January 28.

    Speaking about his absence from the Senate as SBP Amendment Bill 2021 got passed, Gilani said, “It was humanly impossible for me to reach in six hours to Islamabad.”

    “If and when can’t make history. There were a lot of honorable members who were missing. I will question the Dilawar Khan group as to why they voted in favour of the government. The Dilawar group was pressurised to vote for the government.”

    Speaking on Dilawar Khan group, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Raza Rabbani said, “The parties in the Opposition must carry out a purge of the soft-at-heart members and those senators who sit on the Opposition benches but vote for the treasury.”

    “Friday (January 28) was a collective day of shame for the parliament, in particular the Senate, when it passed a document of surrender, a document which financially makes Pakistan a colony of the international donors and imperialists,” said Rabbani.

    PPP Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar regretted that there was a group of people who sat on the Opposition benches but never voted for the Opposition on crucial occasions. He said these people came to the Opposition’s fold when they want to get some benefits and then they vote for the government to get benefits from it as well.

  • PPP’s Gilani says he couldn’t reach Islamabad in time so had to miss important senate session

    PPP’s Gilani says he couldn’t reach Islamabad in time so had to miss important senate session

    Leader of the Opposition in Senate Yusuf Raza Gilani, while speaking on Geo News programme, ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, said that he had not received the agenda of the Senate till 1 AM of the night between January 27 to January 28.

    Speaking about his absence from the Senate on Friday as the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Amendment Bill 2021 got passed, Gilani said, “It was humanly impossible for me to reach in six hours to Islamabad.”

    “If and when can’t make history. There were a lot of honorable members who were missing. I will question the Dilawar Khan group as to why they voted in favour of the government. The Dilawar group was pressurised to vote for the government.”

    Anchorperson Shahzeb Khanzada negated Gilani’s comments on the Dilawar Khan group and said that the group says the Opposition failed to convince them for support. The government succeeded in doing so.

    Khanzada questioned Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Dr Musadik Malik, who was part of the guest panel on the programme about his tweet where Malik questioned Gilani’s absence and had said that one vote, i.e. of Mr Gilani was missing and the bill to make Pakistan a slave of the IMF was passed. And those who made him Leader of the Opposition voted for the government.

    “It was very important that Gilani should have been part of the panel today. He is our very respected leader. But was very clear that the bill was been circulated by the government for the past 10 days and circulated amongst the members of the Senate. We were aware that the government had not placed the bill. We were already aware that the IMF was holding this session on February 2,” said Malik.

    “Before February 2, today [January 28] was the only day the government could have done something. If all members of the Opposition were present as respected Gilani Sahib says he did ask them to, we would have had the support and respect in the Senate if Gilani Sahib would have tried and shown up,” added Malik.

    On January 25, the Senate session was adjourned for Friday, January 28.

    The SBP Amendment Bill, 2021, promises complete autonomy to the central bank and places a complete restriction on the government’s borrowing from the central bank. However, the government can now borrow at a market rate from commercial banks, which will benefit private banks owned by business elites, according to the Opposition.

    The bill was passed by a majority vote. Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani then adjourned the session till January 31.

  • Missing persons bill gone ‘missing’, admits Minister Shireen Mazari

    Missing persons bill gone ‘missing’, admits Minister Shireen Mazari

    Human Rights Minister Dr Shireen Mazari revealed that a bill about enforced disappearances in the country, which was recently passed by the National Assembly (NA), had gone “missing”.

    Speaking at a press conference Mazari said: “We had prepared the bill regarding missing persons and it was passed by the [relevant] standing committee and the National Assembly. But it went missing after it was sent to the Senate.”

    The minister said there were reports, however, that the bill was now at the Senate Secretariat.

    The bill, Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill 2021, was passed by the NA on November 8, 2021, and is aimed at making amendments to the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and Code of Criminal Procedure.

    It was introduced in the National Assembly by the interior minister in June 2021.

  • Senate official suspended for harassing woman

    An 18-grade employee of the Senate’s legislative branch, Rana Azhar Siddique has been suspended for harassing a woman by filming her without her consent in the federal capital, Islamabad.

    The video of the incident went viral on social media and clearly shows the man caught by a woman while filming her at an Automated Teller Machine (ATM). She lashed out and threatened to call the police helpline 15 when he was asked to show the video but the man ran away from the scene.

    The Islamabad police took notice of the incident and the woman was contacted and a case was filed under her name.

    The Kohsar police station booked the accused and anti-harassment provisions were added in the case. Officials said that more facts would come into light during interrogation.

    In the first information report (FIR), the woman stated that she stopped by an ATM and he started recording her.

    The complainant said, “I asked the person why he was shooting the video. At this, the man admitted that he was filming me and made a run for it.”

    Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Senate, Sadiq Sanjrani suspended him and ordered further investigation regarding the harassment matter.

  • US forms a commission of to investigate their failure in Afghanistan

    The US Congress has formed a commission to look into what mistakes were made during the 20-years war in Afghanistan.

    “The Commission shall conduct a comprehensive assessment of the war in Afghanistan and make recommendations to inform future operations with tactical and strategic lessons learned, including the impact of troop increases and decreases and date-certain deadlines,” the legislation said.

    President Joe Biden also reiterated that issue should be investigated within three years.

    The commission will also examine the steps taken by Biden’s three predecessors and what mistakes they might have made in handling Afghan crisis.

    The US Congress has also recommended a $768 billion defense package approved by the House of Representatives and the Senate. It would include nearly $28 billion for a nuclear weapons programs, training, equipment, command and control, advisory efforts and situational awareness.

  • 40 per cent educated women are jobless in Pakistan, 1.5 million people applied for peon position

    40 per cent educated women are jobless in Pakistan, 1.5 million people applied for peon position

    The Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) informed the Senate Standing Committee on Planning and Development that 40 per cent of educated women across the country are jobless, Nadir Guramani reports for Dawn.

    The PIDE in its briefing, stated that 24 per cent of educated people were jobless, adding that the unemployment rate in the country has reached an alarming figure of 16 per cent contrary to the government’s claim of 6.5 per cent.

    The meeting was chaired by the Deputy Chairman of the Senate, Saleem Mandviwala.

    According to the PIDE, the study was done by a company abroad as no research has been conducted by the government, although several research institutes were operating in the country.

    The study also states that 80 per cent of people get themselves enrolled in M.Phil after failing to get a job and they have not been included in the given statistics.

    The Senate committee was told that at least 1.5 million people applied for a peon’s position in a high court that was recently advertised. “Among those applying for the job included M.Phil degree holders,” PIDE officials stated.

    The officials proposed that laws should be made to grant licenses to hawkers to enable them to get a job, this would create 20 to 30 million employments for the citizens. They also debated that universities in Pakistan were approved through a “flawed” bill by the Higher Education Commission (HEC).

    In June, the Economic Survey 2020-21 revealed that the spread of the coronavirus pandemic had severely affected businesses and other economic activities due to the imposition of lockdowns which left approximately 20.71m workers jobless.

  • ‘Set Election Commission on fire,’ PTI’s Azam Swati accuses ECP of taking bribes

    ‘Set Election Commission on fire,’ PTI’s Azam Swati accuses ECP of taking bribes

    Federal Minister for Railways Azam Khan Swati on Friday accused the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) of taking bribes and being on the payroll of ‘someone’.

    Swati said that the ECP was responsible for destroying Pakistan’s democracy and for rigging all elections. Swati added that such institutions should be “set on fire”. This happened when the Senate Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs met today to vote on two key election bills.

    When the meeting started, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan said that the government would like to respond to the ECP’s 37 objections to the proposed introduction of electronic voting machines (EVMs). While Awan was giving the government’s answers point-by-point to the ECP’s objections, suddenly Azam Swati interjected and accused the ECP of taking money. Opposition members present in the meeting strongly objected to this accusation and protested.

    As the Opposition members were protesting, ECP representatives present in the meeting all got up and said that they will not tolerate such behaviour and are boycotting the meeting. ECP representatives then walked out.

    Chair Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs Senator Taj Haider asked a few Opposition members to go and talk to the ECP representatives so as to bring them back to the meeting. By the time Senator Kamran Murtaza went to bring them back, the ECP delegation had left the building.

    Meanwhile, Azam Swati kept hurling accusations at the ECP even after the constitutional body’s representatives had left. Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar and other Opposition members condemned Swati’s remarks and said that he cannot accuse a constitutional body of taking bribes, and asked for proof.

    Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar asked Swati: “Kis se paisay pakrray hain ECP ne? Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) se ya Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) se?”

    [Translation: Tell us who has given money to the ECP? PPP or PML-N?]

    Swati and Khokhar then had a heated exchange.

    “I told Swati that the government should stop browbeating the ECP. It is a constitutional body. How can the government accuse a body of taking bribes without any proof — only because the ECP does not agree with the government on EVMs? Such accusations are shameful,” Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar told The Current. Senator Khokhar added that the government must apologise to the ECP.

    After things calmed down, Babar Awan asked for permission to continue with his answers to the ECP objections. He was then told that since the ECP members are not present anymore, he cannot continue in their absence. The standing committee then decided to vote on the amendments but the government raised objections as Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri was not present in the meeting. Due to her absence, the Opposition members were in majority today. The government asked that she should be allowed to vote via video link.

    According to sources, Senator Zehri had missed her flight from Karachi in the morning. The government wanted to delay the voting till she could take a flight and reach Islamabad after the Friday prayers. It should be noted that Senator Samina Zehri had been included in the Senate Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs by Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani in order to tilt the balance towards the government in the Senate panel, as per Dawn.

    The Senate panel rejected the government’s proposed amendments but the government members walked out and did not take part in the voting process and walked out.

    Babar Awan tweeted that the government will get the two election bills passed through a joint session of parliament.

  • Journalists reject government media bill, call it unconstitutional

    Journalists reject government media bill, call it unconstitutional

    The representatives of media organisations have rejected the proposed Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA) and termed the concept as an unconstitutional and draconian law against the freedom of press and expression and a step toward imposing state control to regulate all segments of media under over-centralised body.

    The major stakeholders believe that the proposed PMDA is an attempt to tighten the government’s control over the media from one platform and ignores the fact that print, electronic and social media are separate entities, each with their own defined features.

    A joint meeting of the members of the Standing Committee of National Assembly and Senate on Information and Broadcasting was held on August 11.

    Talking to The Current, Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar said that a joint meeting of the Standing Committees on Information of both Houses — Senate and National Assembly— had been called by the Information Ministry to discuss the proposed media authority bill.

    “PML-N had boycotted the meeting as it was being held at the Information Ministry instead of Parliament House. When I went to the meeting, I raised some legal and constitutional points regarding the meeting,” said Khokhar.

    “I asked the government for signed permission by Chairman Senate and Speaker National Assembly as it is required by law if such meetings are called outside parliament. The government could only produce a permission letter from Chairman Senate but not Speaker National Assembly. So I raised the point that this meeting is illegal,” said Khokhar.

    “I also pointed out that since Mian Javed Latif, who is the chair of the NA Standing Committee on Information, is not present due to PML-N’s boycott, the NA Standing Committee cannot be part of this meeting. I was overruled by the government. Thus, the PPP also decided to boycott the briefing,” added Senator Khokhar.

    The agenda before the Committee was one of a comprehensive briefing on the proposed PMDA by the Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry.

    As per the last known draft, the PDMA has been described in the Ordinance as “an independent, efficient, effective and transparent” Authority, which will regulate all forms of media, including digital media.

    Under the Ordinance, print and digital media will also need a license to establish and operate in the country.

    The draft describes digital media as online newspapers, web TV channels, OTT content platforms, online news channels, video logs, and YouTube channels, Netflix, Amazon Prime.

    As per the drafted Ordinance, the government could issue directives to the Authority on matters of policy, and such directives will be binding on the Authority.

    For a media organisation to operate in the country, it will be required to not broadcast, distribute or make available online any programme inciting violence or hatred or any action prejudicial to maintenance of law and order or content which defames or brings into ridicule the Head of State, or members of the armed forces, or legislative or judicial organs of the state or is obscene or vulgar.

    As per the draft, the president will set up media tribunals. An aggrieved person can file an appeal with the media tribunal within 30 days. Only the Supreme Court will have jurisdiction to question the legality of a decision taken by the media tribunals.