Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani was received by Deputy Director General Protocol at the airport and was provided a bulletproof BMW car along with two follow-up vehicles when he visited Karachi as acting President of Pakistan on September 17 last. Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sindh AD Khawaja said this while briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Rules and Procedure and Privileges regarding a breach of privilege of the chairman Senate. According to the motion, Chief Secretary Sindh, IG Sindh, Commissioner Karachi and Deputy Commissioner Airport Area, Karachi, committed a breach of privilege by not receiving the then Acting President at Karachi airport, besides he was not provided protocol according to the Blue Book.
The meeting was presided over by Senator Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini. He said that the office of the then acting president asked director general protocol Sindh to arrange motorcade and receive the VVIP upon arrival and departure. As per instructions, a bulletproof BMW car along with two follow-up vehicles was provided to acting president and deputy director general protocol along with supporting staff received and sent off the VVIP at the airport.
Khawaja also said that President Mamnoon Hussain has disallowed protocol for himself. On his first visit to Karachi as President, Hussain had told police not to make protocol arrangements for him in future, he said. The IGP said that according to the Blue Book, during arrival and departure on private visits, only the personal staff of the president or the prime minister will be required to be present there. But the president and prime minister may desire the presence of anyone else.
According to the Blue Book, military secretaries to the president and prime minister will indicate on each occasion whether the arrival or departure of the president and prime minister is to be treated as state, official or private. It was an official visit and when unofficial visit is carried out, they act as per directions of the dignitary concerned. In this case no such direction was giving, he said.
Jamaldini said, "When there is no respect for the Acting President then how we can expect that respect would be given to people of other walks of life. "The committee will not leave this important matter unattended as other important personalities had faced same situation in the past," he said.
He issued directives to chief secretary Sindh, concerned protocol officer and deputy commissioner to ensure their presence during the next meeting. The committee also took up the privilege motion moved by Senator Muhammad Azam Khan Swati regarding non-provision of relevant documents relating to development work carried out in NA-21 since 2013 by Pak-PWD, Hazara division.
Secretary Ministry of Housing and Works Babar Hassan Bharwana told the committee, "The detailed information consists of thousands of documents and, therefore, we provided names of the all development schemes executed during the said period along with the cost as well as present status of the schemes to Senator Azam Swati and committee." He also said that the ministry will also brief Senator Swati about other details and documents related to schemes whenever he visits ministry.
Regarding the privilege motion moved by Senator Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah regarding non-implementation of the recommendations of sub-committee formed on the performance of PIA by the Aviation Division despite lapse of seven months, the concerned secretary said that most of the recommendations of the parliamentary body have been implemented.
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