'Threat to country's sovereignty': government urged to place facts before Senate

Expressing concern over former Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan's assertion that the sovereignty of Pakistan is at stake, Opposition Leader in Senate Aitzaz Ahsan on Tuesday urged the government to placce the facts before the house Without elaborating any further, Nisar had stated that the sovereignty of the country is facing a serious threat and only five people - former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, former Army Chief Raheel Sharif, two military officers and himself - are aware of it.
Aitzaz said the former interior minister had made this shocking revelation twice and in his last interview he said the incumbent Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is also unaware of the threat which is quite worrisome as it is matter of country's sovereignty.
"We want somebody from the government to brief the house. The level of threat which, according to the former interior minister, is so serious should be in the notice of Senate chairman, the leader of the house and the leader opposition in Senate," he added.
To this, Rabbani said if the sitting Prime Minister is unaware of the secret report, what to talk of chairman Senate, the opposition leader and the leader of the house, as they are far behind in having access to such a sensitive information. He said he had taken notice of the former interior minister's interview, adding he would let the house know about it as whether it could be appropriate to discuss the issue in Committee of the Whole or summon the interior minister to give a briefing to the house on it.
Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Senator Sherry Rehman on Tuesday demanded compensation for some 42 detainees who were recently released from US custody in Bagram Prison in Afghanistan and repatriated to Pakistan. Speaking on a point of order in Senate, she deplored, what she called, the US 'highhandedness,' for keeping the prisoners in its custody for the last several years, and releasing them without any compensation when they were almost crippled.
"I'm not aware of the exact number but I think some 42 prisoners have recently been released from the Bagram prison by US forces. They [prisoners] could not do any job as they've almost been crippled," she regretted. She continued that the families of the victims are in trouble as they have nothing to live an honorable life, but neither the US nor Pakistan government has given them any compensation after they were proven innocent.
She criticise the government of Pakistan for not paying any attention to such people who are wrongly prosecuted. Sherry said the government should compensate the detainees who have been released under the Civilian Victims Act, adding any delay in rehabilitation and compensating the victims will certainly help the non-state actors exploit these helpless people.
Chairman Senate Raza Rabbani referred the matter to Senate Functional Committee on Human Right to look into the compensation issue and report back to the house within one month. The House also initiated a debate on the address of the President to the joint-sitting of the Parliament on June 01. Law and Justice Minister Zahid Hamid laid an authenticated copy of the President's address as required under the constitution.
Opening the debate on the Presidential address, Senator Farhatullah Babar of PPP deplored that the address was silent about the critical issue of reforms in tribal areas, a subject of the Presidency alone, and the Presidential claims of non-proliferation were soon mocked by General Musharraf.
He said the meeting held last week in the PM House on Fata Reforms raised several questions and then it asked for bringing the reforms package before the Parliament.
Babar said the press statement of PM House did not make any mention about the jurisdiction of superior courts in Fata and the law replacing the draconian Frontier Crimes Regulation FCR. It mentioned the creation of a new post of chief operating officer (COO), he said and expressed apprehension that "sooner or later a military general will be appointed" as was proposed in the now aborted package of Chief Executive to be filled by a grade-22 civilian or military officer.
In the presence of a uniformed officer as COO, both the Government House and President House will become redundant as the focus of power will shift to Rawalpindi, further militarizing the tribal areas. Chairman Senate Raza Rabbani decided to convene a meeting next week of the Committee of the Whole on Fata Reforms and asked the senator to raise the issues then where SAFRON minister will also be present to give replies.
Senator Babar then touched upon the remarks of President Mamnoon Hussain on nuclear proliferation. He said he welcomed the President's remarks that Pakistan believed in non- proliferation and was entitled to a seat in the prestigious Nuclear Supplier Group (NSG).
However, the supreme commander's categorical statement on non-proliferation and expression of pious hopes to enter NSG was soon contradicted by General Musharraf (retired) in London who claimed that tons of nuclear material had been clandestinely shipped to North Korea, Iran and Libya and that it was done by just one individual.
"Who will now trust Mamnoon Hussain's claim of non-proliferation and who will agree to give a seat to Pakistan on NSG, the foremost condition for which is impeccable record of non-proliferation," he asked. By regurgitating an old and almost forgotten story, whipping a dead horse and publicly contradicting the supreme commander, Musharraf has done irreparable damage, he said and demanded action against him. Musharraf has also mocked at the notion that the President indeed is also the supreme commander.
Senator Babar said that no progress had been made in the development of a national narrative to reject the militants' extremist narrative. Militancy cannot be fought with weapons alone, he said. Universities and seats of higher learning were now infested with extremism and militancy and there is need for urgently developing a national narrative to counter it, he warned and proposed that the issue be discussed in Senate Committee of the Whole to which all stakeholders should also be invited.
The issue of missing persons was, once again, raised in the Senate when Hafiz Hamdullah pointed out the disappearance of a member of CII along with his staff in Quetta a few days ago.
Taking part in the discussion, Senator Babar said, "The issue of missing person will continue to dodge us as long as there is no law to rein in the state agencies." He said that the Supreme Court, the Commission on Enforced Disappearances, the Senate and now the National Commission on Human Rights all had asked for a legislation but to no avail.
"Because of lack of legislation, we have been groping in the dark to trace missing individuals but are not able to trace the detention centers, prevent disappearances and punish those responsible," he said.