Senate Standing Committee on Interior on Monday sought a detailed report from National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) on purchase of substandard magnetic ink for 2013 general elections. The committee met in the Parliament House with Senator Rehman Malik in chair.
The committee members said that Nadra should submit a detailed report as to why substandard magnetic ink was purchased for the elections. They also sought report from the Nadra on Islamabad Safe City Project as majority of the members were of the view that the authority was not seriously working on it. Commenting about the MQM chief Altaf Hussein's latest controversial speech, Senator Chaudhry Tanveer Khan said that speeches against the Pak army and law enforcement agencies tantamount to appease enemies of Pakistan.
"We are not ready to hear any comment against Pakistan. Pakistan and its armed forces should be given due respect by all political leaders," said chairman of the committee Senator Rehman Malik. MQM Senator Tahir Mashahdi said that an FIR has been registered against him on false grounds and sought help of the committee chairman to get it quashed.
The committee also unanimously decided to get an in-camera briefing in the next committee meeting from Intelligence Bureau on monitoring of hostile agencies' operations and working in the country. Vice Principal of National Academy Rana Zaka informed the committee members that there are 109 jails in the country that are housing around 82,000 prisoners against their capacity of 45,000 prisoners. "We have only four million budgets for the academy and have requested the government to increase it," he said, adding that either the government should increase the academy's budget or close it.
The committee members also decided to visit Karachi and Adiala jail to look into situation of the prisoners. About the National Action Plan, PTI Senator Shibli Faraz said that the NAP was devised with consensus of all political parties but the government is not implementing it in letter and spirit. "The Nacta chief has resigned from his position while the government has not allocated sufficient funds to strengthen the authority," he said.
The committee chairman also sought a report from the interior ministry about media reports of putting Senator Sitara Ayaz and Senator Shahi Syed on the Exit Control List. Interior Secretary Shahid Khan, however, informed the committee members that names of the Senators have not been put on the ECL. "The committee should be informed about the actual position of these rumours of putting the Senators on the ECL within three days," the committee chairman directed the interior ministry officials.