Balochistan: August 26 terrorist attacks jointly carried out by banned outfits: minister

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Tuesday said that the multiple terrorist attacks witnessed by Balochistan province on August 26 were jointly carried out by banned terror organisations.

Security forces were not conducting any operation in Balochistan, Naqvi said while briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Interior which met with Senator Faisal Saleem Rehman in the chair.

Targeted operations were continuing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he said, adding that terrorists sitting in Afghanistan are involved in the attacks and they are those people who were freed as per the agreement.

He said that the secretary Ministry of Interior had provided all evidence to the Afghan government in this regard.

About operation against notorious dacoits of Kacha area, he said that before launching the operation in the area we wanted to talk to the provincial government. If once we clear the area then the same situation should be created after two years, he said.

The committee discussed the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Bill, 2024 moved by Senator Saleem Manviwalla, Samina Mumtaz Zehri, Irfanul Haque Siddiqui, Syed Faisal Ali Subzwari and Umer Farooq seeking to regulate the holding of public assemblies at certain places in Islamabad Capital Territory.

Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri said that the bill was not aimed at targeting any political party. Any person who has 5,000 to 10,000 followers, he stage protests in the city wherever he wants, she said.

Prior to this, no law was in place to regulate peaceful assemblies, Senator Saleem Mandviwalla argued.

Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri said that a specific place should be designated for assemblies, following the example of Hyde Park, London. Senator Saifullah Abro stated that the bill was put forward to target a certain political party and served no one.

The committee chairman said that political parties obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the administration before staging the protest.

We have also ready a law for those who stage protests illegally or without the permission of the administration, he said.

The mover further said that protesters mostly damage public properties. There were anti-state elements in the protest in Balochistan, she said, adding that in Balochistan did not stage protest at the site where they were given permission and they moved to another place.

The committee passed the bill with a majority vote, though Senator Faisal Saleem Rehman, Chairman of the Committee having no vote shared his concerns and Senator Saifullah Abro voted against it.

Senator Saifullah Abro raised the arrest of Senator Mushtaq Ahmed and the atrocities committed against his family during his arrest. He said that the constitution provides dignity to every citizen, which should not be violated at any cost.

The committee directed the Interior Ministry to submit a report on the matter at the next meeting.

The committee also unanimously passed three Bills titled “The Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Bill, 2024,” “The Prevention of Smuggling of Migrants Bill, 2024,” and “The Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Amendment Bill, 2024 moved by Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri.

She said that the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill aimed to deter the rising cases of online child abuse across the country. She added that over the last five years, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has recorded more than two million cases of child exploitation imagery uploaded onto the internet. The other bills aimed to combat human trafficking and smuggling by increasing the punishment for these offences.

During the meeting, Senator Shahadat Awan and Senator Saifullah Abro exchanged harsh words.

Awan raised an objection when Abro was talking about a matter during the meeting. Abrogot annoyed and declared Awan as a tout.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024