Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani Friday summoned the foreign minister on Monday to brief the House about the government's position on reports of restrictions imposed on Pakistani diplomats in Washington, the US role in blocking curbs on Umar Khalid Khorasani and halt to compensation to Pakistan under Coalition Support Fund (CSF). The ruling from the chair came in response to these points raised by Opposition Leader in Senate Sherry Rehman as the Senate adopted a number of bills, without sending them to the House standing committees for consideration, as National Assembly is going to complete its term on May 31.
"A foreign minister or a representative from the Ministry of Foreign Ministry be asked to give replies to the questions raised here," said the chairman Senate as Sherry sought his ruling, saying the government was not willing to give answers to the questions of grave concern pertaining to national importance and had already skipped the issue of Shakil Afridi, the controversial medic who helped US in tracking down Osama bin Laden.
Castigating the government for attaching hardly any priority to foreign affairs and issues of national security, Sherry cautioned that very strong winds are blowing towards Pakistan and South Asia amid dangers of conflict but a foreign minister, appointed after the opposition's hue and cry for four years, was disqualified for having foreign Iqama (work permit).
"Similarly, a member of the UN body has blocked curbs on a militant Umar Khalid Khorasani who was the mastermind of terrorist attacks inside Pakistan on personnel of military and law-enforcement agencies and APS massacre," she pointed out.
Sherry said it has been reported that it was the United States that blocked sanctions on the terrorist. "This was quite surprising that the move was impeded despite Pakistan is honoring so many commitments towards eradication of terrorism," she noted.
She continued that then again there are reports of stopping funds to Pakistan under CSF. She added Pakistan had never sought aid but compensation and reimbursement for services to the coalition forces and allowing use of its infrastructure over the years.
Referring to the US move of curtailing movements of Pakistani diplomats in Washington, she said that the government needs to explain to the House the reasons behind it, as there are indications that Pakistan is also considering such measures against American diplomats here.
She was extremely concerned over massive tension between Pakistan-US relations in recent times while having been allies for so many years. "Pakistan does not want rivalry with any country but at the same time it should take decisions on its own to safeguard its sovereignty," she emphasized.
But she lamented that while India is talking about surgical strikes and carrying out massacre of Kashmiris in Indian Occupied Kashmir while the government at this critical juncture has no foreign minister while the person named to be posted in the US as Pakistan's ambassador at this deep transition in Pak-US ties is 'NAB-tainted'.
Later, the House passed as many as 13 record bills, already cleared by the National Assembly, adopting an unusual practice after holding marathon meetings of the House Business Advisory Committee for deliberations on these bills.
Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani, Senator Sherry, Law Minister Mehmood Bashir Virk, and Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training Muhammad Baligh-ur-Rehman showered praise on the members Senate for their active cooperation and support in passing of these bills which, they believed, would hugely benefit the masses.
Sanjrani said that the Senate would continue to play its role in doing legislation aimed at welfare and betterment of people of Pakistan.
The passed bills included: The Prevention of Smuggling of Migrants Bill, 2018, The Institute for Art and Culture Bill, 2018, The Institute of Science and Technology Bahawalpur Bill, 2018, The Sir Syed (Centre for Advanced Studies in Engineering) Institute of Technology, Islamabad Bill, 2018, The Establishment of the Federal Bank for Cooperatives and Regulation of Cooperative Banking (Repeal) Bill, 2018, The House Building Finance Corporation (Repeal) Bill, 2018, The Federal Employees Benevolent Fund and Group Insurance(Amendment) Bill, 2018, The Islamabad Healthcare Regulation Bill, 2018, The Health Services Academy (Restructuring) Bill, 2018, The Women in Distress and Detention Fund (Amendment) Bill, 2017, The Juvenile Justice System Bill, 2018, The Islamabad Capital Territory Child protection Bill, 2018, and The Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2018.
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