Senate passes Benami Bill after slight amendment

ZULFIQAR AHMAD

ISLAMABAD: With a slight amendment, the Senate Tuesday passed government-sponsored The Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Bill, 2016 aimed at prohibiting people from holding assets and properties under others or fake names.

The bill which will come into force at once, gives stringent powers to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) as it allows the authorities to raid and have full access to any premises, place, account, documents or computer, etc, with prior notice to inquire the accused.

Opposition Leader in Senate Aitzaz Ahsan said that they are happy about the bill as it also covers those who had been hiding their assets and properties in the names of their sons and wives.

The opposition also managed to pass an amendment put forth by Aitzaz Ahsan to substitute clause 3 of Article 1 that states: It shall come into force on such date as the federal government, may, by notification, the official Gazette, appoint.

The amendment moved by Senator Aitzaz, seeking that the bill should come into force at once after its passage from the Senate was adopted by the House with 18 votes to 16, while Lt Gen (retd) Salahuddin Tirmizi, a treasury senator from Mansehra, abstained from voting.

The extraordinary courage shown by former military general to abstain from voting on an important bill of his party brought a smile on the face Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) Senator Farhatullah Babar, who speaking on a point of public importance appreciated the bravery of the general.

I appreciate the courage shown by my friend Gen Salahuddin who despite sitting on treasury bench didnt vote for his party. This should be the spirit of every democrat [and] its called strength of character which compelled him to act according to his own conscience, said Babar.

In response, Senator Babar had to face sarcastic remarks from Senator Mushahidullah Khan of ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), who said, Though Gen Tirmizi demonstrated whatever he thought was right, we are anxiously waiting for the big day when Senator Babar will follow the suit.

Senator Hamdullah of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) demanded the government to clarify whether it is going to handover Dr Shakil Afridi to the US, the controversial doctor who helped CIA track down Osama bin Laden.

According to statement of objects and reasons, Benami property has been causing concern for tax authorities and the past practices and experience have shown that Benami transactions have often been resorted to for furthering illegal or questionable objectives including the tax evasion.

And that the assets, which are taken through illegally-earned money, can be used for tax evasion or something more serious like terror financing. It further stated that the bill will help in dealing with problems of tax evasion and black money, especially in the real estate sector, and to target transactions that are carried out in other peoples names.

One of the major objectives of the bill is to put an end to Benami transactions, and to empower the government to recover such property. The Bill further seeks to ensure if any person enters into Benami transaction to evade tax or avoid payment to creditors, the ultimate beneficial owner and persons who abet or induce any person to undertake such transaction, it added.

Referring to a recent statement made by Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi, who had said that Pakistan is willing to discuss Afridis release with new US administration, he questioned: In which context, he [Fatemi] is saying all thisdoesnt he know the position of the government and the state that hes a traitor.

Afridi was arrested and convicted for spying and what he did was to undermine security and sovereignty of the country and he is a traitor and should be dealt accordingly, but the government says something lese, for which we want clarification, he said while speaking on a calling attention notice.

He made it crystal clear to the government that handing over a traitor [Afridi] to the US is in no way acceptable, saying Barrack Hussain Obama had also been lobbying for his release. He added, We freed Raymond Davis who killed innocent people in Lahore, and handing over another Davis would not be allowed.

You got Raymond Davis freed by paying the blood money to heirs of the victims from your own treasury, and if youre making a similar plan to handover Shakil Afridi to the US, the government will have to tell the Parliament, he maintained.

The JUI cleric also questioned whether there is any demand for release of Dr Aafia Siddiqui who is languishing in the US jail.

Responding to the calling attention notice, Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid said that the case of Dr Shakeel Afridi is pending in the courts.

Dr Shakil Afridi was working with foreign agencies in violation of local laws. He also greatly harmed the polio vaccination campaign and 50 polio workers have been killed as suspects of foreign agents and currently he [Afridi] is under trial, he added.

He said during his visit to the US, Fatemi had conveyed to US government that Dr Shakil Afridi is going through a due trial, adding Dr Afridi was involved in anti-state activities and had been arrested in May 2011.

Later speaking on a point of public importance, Senator Hamdullah demanded Chairman Senate Raza Rabbani to take notice of alleged empty liquor bottles found at Parliament Lodges, the official residential apartments for parliamentarians.

Empty liquor bottles could be seen everywhere in the Parliament Lodgeswhos using liquor as there live only lawmakers. Our children are asking us who consume liquor, he added.

When the Senate chairman wanted to bar the enraged JUI-F MP from making a controversial statement on the floor of the House, he said: Why do you stop me from talking whenever I highlight the issue of empty liquor bottles in Parliament Lodges.

Rabbani said that he wanted him to discuss the issue with deputy chairman Senate at his chamber as the MPs should not raise such issues in the House, to which Hamdullah said that he wanted to bring the issue in his notice as drinking liquor is shameful.