A comprehensive debate will be started on 'Aghaz-e-Haqooq-Balochistan' package in the joint sitting of the Parliament on Monday. The 'Aghaz-e-Haqooq-Balochistan' package was presented by the present government in the last joint session of the Parliament on November 24.
It was presented by PPP Senator Raza Rabbani, who headed the seven-member parliamentary committee. The package was finalised after consultation with political leaderships of other major parties in the Parliament and other stakeholders.
There would be two sittings daily--morning and evening--of the joint session and all parliamentary parties, including nationalist parties of Balochistan, would participate in the debate and present their comments on the package.
The parliamentarians of Balochistan have already expressed their reservations on the package when it was placed in joint session of the parliament on two counts. First, the failure of the government to take them on board with respect to the package; and second, failure to act on their longstanding demands, notably cessation of military operation and release of missing persons, as a confidence building measure prior to the announcement of yet another set of so-called promises.
Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Babar Awan said while talking to Business Recorder that the duration of the session would depend entirely on the parliamentarians. He said that the house would remain in session as long as the members would want. He said that the House would take up only one-point agenda of Balochistan Package.
The package relates solely to administrative and economic affairs while the issues of provincial autonomy and various amendments in the Constitution are being addressed in a Special Committee of the Parliament on Constitutional Reforms which represents all shades of political opinion in the Parliament.
The provisions of the constitution on provincial autonomy including deletion of the Concurrent List from Fourth Schedule of the Constitution, police order, 2002 and the Balochistan Local Government Ordinance 2001 from the sixth schedule of the Constitution and others are being addressed in the Committee. In the package, the federal government pledged to immediately release all political workers, except those charged under heinous crimes. Similarly, it was pledged that a commission would be constituted in respect of missing persons. The names of missing persons would be identified and those persons against whom there are no charges will be released and those who are charged with a crime will be brought before a court of competent jurisdiction within seven days for trial.
When contacted, Senator Hasil Khan Bizenjo said that the Federal Government had given assurance to Balochistan nationalist parties that it would begin implementing the package a day after it was announced but so far the package has not been implemented.
"The government claims that it has released 25 missing persons, but according to my information there are 12 people who were recovered," he said.
He said that Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said that there were 1000 missing persons of Balochistan but according to the report of Human Right Commission the figure is 2000.
"There is no need for any debate on Balochistan package, but it is critical to implement it. The package is already prepared with the consultation of Balochistan Parliamentarians and other stakeholders," he said.
He claimed that the government does not have the capacity to implement the package. It took this government two years just to prepare the package and it is not able to implement it, he claimed.
Senator Engineer Muhammad Hamayun Mandokhel said that the PPP government should implement the package as early as possible. He said that the government could restore confidence by taking practical measures for implementing the package. This would be the first step towards giving rights to the people of Balochistan.
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