ALI HUSSAIN

ISLAMABAD: Leader of the Opposition in Senate Aitzaz Ahsan Friday described the political forces' agreement on a two-year extension to military courts as 'a cup of poison hemlock' which they had to drink after strong assurances by government that it would no more depend on these courts.

He was speaking in the Senate when Chairman Raza Rabbani observed that "it was very sad daytoday we are again abrogating the Constitution. Two years back, the government had also pledged to take the required measures but it did not".

Rabbani said the Senate Committee of the Whole flagged the issue and the house had passed the Witness Protection Bill, 2015 and the Anti Terrorism Bill, 2015 unanimously on January 18. "If both the bills had been properly worked out, we would not have faced such a situation today," he further observed.

Taking the floor, Aitzaz Ahsan said the opposition had reservations on these courts at the time of their formation in 2015 but it had also proposed an effective implementation on 20-point National Action Plan (NAP).

"Today, we believe that out of the 20 points, only one point which relates to formation of military courts was acted upon but no implementation was made on rest of the 19 points," he maintained. "We [opposition] want to bring it on the record that agreeing on the extension was a bitter pill rather a bowl of poison which we have drunk," he added.

However, he said that the opposition was confident that the government would abide by its assurances to prepare the ground and the situation in which there would be no dependence on the military courts after its two-year term.

He also expressed the confidence that the government would constitute National Security Committee comprising members from both the house which will not only oversee the functions of military courts but the overall security environment of the country and other related issues.

Responding to concerns, Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar said the bills to extend military courts and amendment to the Army Act would be tabled in the National Assembly on Monday and later would be presented in the Senate - probably on Tuesday.

He said that judicial reforms and implementation of remaining points of NAP would also be carried out simultaneously in the said period, adding that under a resolution a parliamentary oversight committee would be set up to monitor progress in this regard.

He said that those parliamentarians who remained part of consultation process for finalizing draft of the constitutional bills would be the members of the committee.

He said the country has been facing extraordinary challenges and situations, adding that all the political parties agreed on the extension to the function of military courts in the larger interest of the country. "Although, it was not a choice of any political party, yet it became a compulsion under the present circumstance," he added.

Meanwhile, responding to adjournment motion moved by Leader of the Opposition Aitzaz Ahsan and others, Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid said that government is making all-out efforts to ensure fair, transparent and credible census in the country.

He said that column for special persons and transgender have been included in the census form on the directions of Supreme Court, adding census in all the agencies of FATA will be held in the second phase due to a delay in repatriation of the temporarily displaced persons.

To the concerns of the senators, he said the government has taken notice of certain issues including the use of pencil to fill census forms and it has been conveyed that the forms will be filled with the pen instead of pencils.

In his observations, Chairman Rabbani said the process should be transparent, adding census is a thing that should not be made controversial.

Earlier, the senators including the leader of the opposition expressed concerns over the objections being received on the use of pencil instead of pen and other related issues in the process.

They suggested that the data collected should be digital and made available for the people with a view to making corrections if it was wrongly filled. They also suggested that carbon papers should also be used and a copy of the filled form should be given to the head of a family for record.

Responding to another adjournment motion moved by MQM Ateeq Shaikh, Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal said that no discriminatory concession will be allowed to Chinese industries that could potentially harm local industry.

He rejected the propaganda that only Chinese companies can invest in special economic zones (SEZs) under CPEC, saying no special incentives are given to foreign companies and organizations for operations in Pakistan to ensure the protection of domestic industries.

He said a working group has been established for the setting up of SEZs, which will take on board all relevant stakeholders in the process of finalizing a business model and developing a framework for investment in the SEZs.

He said the working group is consulting in detail the officials of all relevant ministries, provincial governments and Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry to ensure smooth functioning of the SEZs to be set up in the mid to long-term phase of the CPEC.

He said the government is ensuring at all levels that no policy is initiated which may hamper the local industry and unfairly favours the foreign investors, adding all policies are directed to create a favourable eco-system for domestic and foreign investors to ensure strengthening of Pakistans economy.

He stated that numerous campaigns and propaganda are surfacing to sabotage the CPEC, adding that such noises need to be discouraged because the project is meant for lifting the geo-economic landscape of Pakistan. The government is actively engaging with all segments of society to address the apprehensions of provinces and the business community, he added.

He said that negative noises conspiring to create fears amongst the local industrialists are not doing any service to development process of Pakistan. "The government would foil all these conspiracies," he added.

The minister said it is imperative to attract maximum foreign investment and since Chinese industry is being relocated to other Asian countries, Pakistan would like to benefit the most from the relocation policy of Chinese businesses.