A high powered inter-ministerial committee tasked to streamline activities of international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) will meet within 24 hours to review the activities/affairs of Save the Children, said Finance Minister Ishaq Dar. Responding to a point of order in Senate, the Finance Minister tried to clarify the confusion over closure and reopening of the operations of Save the Children.
"Only its [Save the Children] Islamabad office was sealed...which is still sealed. While its offices in the provinces are operative," he said, adding the inter-ministerial committee led by Prime Minister's Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi will review its affair in next 24 hours. He said that the committee was constituted to streamline activities of the INGOs and its recommendations were at the final stage. He said that all the countries have strict rules regarding operations of the INGOs and the government of Pakistan is also in the process of ensuring that their activities are in accordance with the national interest.
Earlier, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Senator Saeed Ghani questioned the government decision first to close down the operation of Save the Children and then allowing it to resume its work. He pointed out that Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan gave a statement in which he stated that Save the Children was involved in anti-state activities and announced to seal its offices, asking its foreign staff to leave the country within 15 days.
"What was the logic behind the move when it [Save the Children] was again allowed to resume its work?..What exactly happened when an NGO involved in anti-state activities was allowed overnight to resume its operation?...the government need to clarify its position," Ghani said. According to him either the interior minister was misinformed or it was result of any foreign pressure under which the government allowed the NGO to resume its operation.
Chairman Raza Rabbani, however, advised the senator to bring the matter through a call attention notice so that the government comes up with its response. The House through two different motions referred two bills to the joint sitting of the Parliament. The bills include the Civil Servant Amendment Bill, 2014 and the Emigration Amendment Bill, 2014. The motions were moved by Saeed Ghani and Ghous Mohammad Khan Niazi. The Senate resumed debate on a motion moved by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar to make recommendations to the National Assembly on the Finance Bill, 2015, containing the annual budget statement.
Hidayatullah from FATA, while taking part in the discussion, said that the tribal areas have been in the front line role in the war against terror and infrastructure there has been damaged to a great extent. He demanded allocation of more funds for primary education and setting up of new schools in FATA. Naseema Ehsan of BNP-Awami suggested that the tax net should be widened to include those segments of society that have been exempted from the tax. She said that the genuine Baloch leadership should be taken into confidence on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects.
Sajjad Turi from FATA said that more funds need to be given to the uplift of the tribal areas from the PSDP. Iqbal Zafar Jhagra of PML-N appreciated the federal budget, saying that the fiscal deficit which was 8.2 percent in the first budget of the government, was brought down to 5.5 percent in the second budget while it has been targeted to bring down to 5 percent, which is appreciable. He further said that the target is to further bring it down to 3.5 percent in the budget 2017-18. He further said that the 7.5 percent increase in salaries was according to the available resources.