Lawmakers in the Senate on Tuesday expressed dissatisfaction over the law and order situation in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), Balochistan and interior Sindh, where target killing, abduction for ransom and other terrorist activities are on the rise.
The Senators also demanded of the government to review its policy of being the frontline state against the "war on terror." Taking part in a debate on the law and order situation on an adjournment motion, moved by Opposition Leader in Senate Kamil Ali Agha, the parliamentarians took the government to task for what they termed failure to control the deteriorating law and order.They also criticised the last government for breeding terrorism and extremism after being a frontline partner in the war on terror.
One of the nationalist Senators even blamed the government agencies for sponsoring and patronising the terrorist elements. Opening the debate, Senator Abdul Rahim Mandokhel of PakMAP opined that state institutions had completely collapsed and was not in a position to apprehend the terrorist elements, whereas officials were merely playing the role of negotiators.
"We are in favour of negotiations and consultations, but it does not mean that any person should impose his point of view on others", he maintained. Presently, he said, the country was facing extremism and terrorism, which was not only related to the religious extremism, but every act was extremism if it led to impose the point of view of one person on the other at gunpoint.
He lamented that a Pakistani diplomat had been abducted from Pakistani territory three months ago, but the intelligence agencies had failed to locate the whereabouts of top official. Mandokheil pointed out that how a teacher could teach in tribal areas where they were being threatened and the government had failed to provide security him.
Senator Abdul Razzaq Tahim of Functional League said people in interior Sindh, particularly the minorities, were not secure and abduction for ransom was a routine matter.
He demanded of the government to come up with a concrete solution to overcome the curse of terrorism and violence once and for all. He also blamed "some" politicians in Sindh, who were hiring "gangs" to use against their opponents. Dr Abdul Malik said that law was applicable only on poor, but there was no value of law for the rich. The Pakistan Peoples Party government should introduce rule of law in the country, he said, and added if it failed to do so, the PPP and democracy would be losers.
At present, he said, Balochistan was facing army operation and the PPP proposed to convene an all parties' conference (APC). In case of failure, its direct effect would be on the PPP, he maintained. Senator Tahir Hussain Mashahdi of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) recommended that the law and order should be handed over to provinces as it was not the subject of Centre and the provincial governments would control it.
Maulana Abdul Ghafoor of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) blamed the Musharraf regime for breeding terrorism and extremism. The basic reason, he pinpointed, was influx of weapons.
"The economy of any state could not be flourished, unless there is a complete peace and security", he said. The government, he said, should review its policy of being frontline state in the so-called war against terror, which, he opined, was not war against terrorists, but against the Muslims. He demanded of the government to review its policy and withdraw from the war on terror.
DETAINED PRISONERS IN SPAIN: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi informed the Senate on Tuesday that nine, out of the 12 detained Pakistani citizens in Spain, would be tried in the court of law on the charge of possessing objectionable materials and devices.
On a calling attention notice of PML-Q Senator Anwar Bhinder, the Foreign Minister said that 12 Pakistani citizens were detained by the authorities in Spain on the charges of possessing some devices. Out of them, the three were later released after proving to be innocent and the nine are still in the prison and their trial would soon be started.
The Pakistan Embassy in Spain was actively providing them legal aid, the Minister added. After 9/11, different countries had changed their laws and they could detain any person on suspicion, he said.