A parliamentary body on Thursday asked the central and the provincial governments to provide adequate security to the parliamentarians on a priority.
The National Assembly Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and Privileges, which met with MNA Rana Muhammad Qasim Noon in the chair, asked the Federal Ministry of Interior and the provincial home departments to provide proper security to all parliamentarians across the country.
"As many as two security personnel should be deputed with every parliamentarian and those legislatures who are not willing to avail security personnel should give this in writing to the district police officer (DPOs)," said Noon.
He asked the senior officials of the Ministry of Interior and the home departments of the four provinces to prepare a new standard operating procedure (SOPs).
The committee also asked both the Interior Ministry and the home departments to withdraw security personnel posted with un-authorized persons and provide security personnel to the entitled people within 15 days. A senior official of the Ministry of Interior said that the Ministry of Interior could amend the existing rules but law and order was now a provincial subject therefore, provinces could prepare rules in that regard.
Senior police officers of Sindh and Punjab told the committee that they were providing security to VVIPs and VIPs and senior leaders as security policy framed by the Ministry of Interior.
Officials from both the provinces said that they were providing security to those parliamentarians who were facing threats to their life from terrorists, sectarian groups and miscreants following the recommendations of threats assessment committee and provincial intelligence committee.
Those who face life threats, fill application with a senior police officer and the police officer forward it to the threats assessment committee and provincial intelligence committee for approval, they said.
The senior officials of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan police said that "we are also providing security to all VVIPs, VIPs and other eminent persons as per the security policy of the Ministry of Interior."
Keeping in view the security situation both the provinces provide security to all the parliamentarians, they said.
At this, Noon said that the provincial police of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan were providing security to all the parliamentarians, while Punjab and Sindh only to those who were facing threats following filing of applications. Filing and processing of applications regarding threats is a long procedure, therefore security personnel should be provided to all parliamentarians.
MNA Mohsin Nawaz Raja said that security personnel deputed with retired IGs, other retired government officials should be withdrawn who were not facing any threat.
"It does not make sense to provide security to those people after retirement at the cost of national exchequer, who did not even lead any sensitive operation," he said.
Rawlapindi RPO Sohail Habib Tajik, while briefing the committee about security policy adopted by Ministry of Interior and executed by Punjab police, said that as per the policy, the Punjab police provided security to VVIPs, VIPs, judges, public office holders, civil servants in the province and also eminent persons from different walks of life.
He said, Punjab police provide security to the president, the prime minister, the chief justice of Pakistan, the chief justice of Lahore High Court, judges of superior judiciary, chairman Senate, speaker National Assembly, federal ministers, state minister, the advisers to the prime minister, the governor, the chief minister, and foreign heads of states.
Tajik said that police also provide security to chief secretary, additional chief secretary, inspector general of police (IGP) and additional IGP of Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and the provincial ombudsman, district and session judges of anti-terrorism courts.
Police also provide security to former presidents, former prime ministers, former chief justice of Pakistan, former chairman Senate, former speaker National Assembly; former judges Supreme Court, former chief ministers and governors.
Police also provide security to retired chief secretaries of Punjab and IGPs as per policy, he said.
He said that police also provide security to former chief secretaries, additional chief secretaries and IGP and additional IGP CTDs who held these positions in Punjab after formulation of the National Action Plan (NAP) due to sensitive nature of their job for a period of one year.
Tajik said that police also provide security to the main leader or head of political parties and other eminent persons as security policy.
He said that provincial governments provide security to VIPs and eminent persons as per threat assessment made and quantum of security there of determined by the provincial intelligence committee on basis of recommendations of divisional and district intelligence committees.
According to the policy, police did not provide security on permanent basis to above mentioned categories, and review security arrangements on quarterly basis for enhancement, reduction or withdrawal depending upon threat assessment by the provincial intelligence committees in the light of revised recommendations of divisional and district intelligence committees, he said.
The meeting was attended Zulfiqar Ali Khan Dullah, Mehar Ghulam Muhammad Lali, Ghulam Bibi, Rai Muhammad Murtaza Iqbal, Muhammad Amjid Farooq Khan Khosa, Muhammad Sajjad, Chaudhry Armghan Subhani, Mohsin Nawaz Ranjha, Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhary, and Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah.
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