The Senate on Monday entertained opposition's resolutions on lifting ban on trade unions, launching separate TV channel for airing Islamic education programmes and immediate commencing of work on Lak Pass road and tunnel in Balochistan.
The resolutions regarding trade unions moved by PPP senator Mian Raza Rabbani and of TV channel by MMA senator Professor Khurshid Ahmad were referred to the house standing committees while the third resolution moved by MMA senator Liaqat Bangalzai was passed unanimously by the house.
Raza Rabbani while presenting his resolution said that the government was giving no importance to the labour community and trade unions, for there was no labour minister in the cabinet.
The government policies are big business-friendly, he said. He said that through an order General Pervez Musharraf imposed ban on unions in the PIA in 1999.
"It is interesting to note that ban imposed was restricted only to the lower cadre employees. The upper cadre is running a union," said Rabbani.
Referring to the ban on unions in Pakistan Railways, Pakistan Steel, KESC, Wapda and other government organisations, he alleged that the government was violating Article 17 of the Constitution.
Despite clear-cut instructions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the government is not interested to lift the ban, said the senator adding that the PPPP is opposed to the Industrial Relations Order 2002.
The treasury senators refrained from openly opposing the resolution. However, they were unanimous in their assertions that trade unions were used for political purposes in the past.
Khalid Ranjha remarked that government could ban the unions under the Article 17 of the Constitution. However, the PML (N) senator Ishaq Dar said that the government could reform the unions but it could not abolish them.
If unions were misused in the past, the government has the right to reform them, asserted Dar while reading out the same article.
Sanaullah Baloch, Sajjad Bukhari, Professor Ghafoor Ahmad and other senators supported the resolution.
Leader of the house, Wasim Sajjad said to say that there was complete ban on unions was not correct. The State organisations had certain problems and the ban was imposed due to the growing loss of the entities, he said.
However, he did not oppose the resolution and recommended that the resolution be referred to the house labour committee.
The resolution related to launching a separate TV channel for airing Islamic educational programmes was moved by Professor Khurshid Ahmad. Professor Ghafoor Ahmad presented the resolution as the former was on a foreign visit.
He informed the house that western media were attacking Islam. The western channels and the press were presenting Islam as a religion promoting terrorism.
"We have to negate their propaganda against Islam and the Muslims with the help of a separate TV channel," said the senator as he was supported by other members including Ismail Buledi, Dr Murad Ali Shah, Maulana Samiul Haq, Liaqat Bangalzai, Kausar Firdous, Professor Ibrahim and others.
The treasury senators Khalid Ranjha, Nisar Memon, Akram Wali, Sarwar Kakar and other also spoke on the issue. Nisar Memon said there was need to positively portray the image of the country in comity of nations as being stated by President Musharraf.
The information minister Sheikh Rashid did not oppose the resolution and said it was encouraging that religious scholars, who were opposed to even watch the TV, had grasped the importance of this medium. He asked the chairman to refer the resolution to the standing committee.
The resolution on commencement of work on Lak Pass was unanimously passed by the house, after Communications Minister Babar Khan Ghouri said that Rs 570 million for the project were allocated for the project in the budget.
The house was adjourned earlier after senator Kamil Ali Agha had requested to postpone the session for the senators had to attend the dinner being hosted by Senator Mohammad Ali Durrani in the honour of Prime Minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain. Most of the opposition senators were not invited at the dinner.