ISLAMABAD - On the first day of the farewell session of the Senate, the opposition parties along with JUI-F and Fata lawmakers staged a protest walkout from the House over the approval of proposed change in Pak-China Economic Corridor from the cabinet terming it injustice with the people of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and some remote parts of Punjab.
Soon after the start of the session, the opposition parties including Awami National Party (ANP), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Fata lawmakers and Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam-Fazal (JUI-F) from treasury benches staged a joint walkout to protest the diversion of Pak-China Economic Corridor’s original route.
The lawmakers stressed the government to reverse its decision of changes in the Pakistan-China Economic Corridor route with the warning that otherwise it should be ready to face resistance of people who have been deprived of their due rights since long.
Speaking on a point of order, ANP Senator Zahid Khan termed the decision of the cabinet unfortunate as well as unfair for approving the change in route of Pak-China Economic Corridor. He said that the decision was unacceptable, as the rights of the people of small provinces had been usurped. Soon after this, the lawmakers staged walkout over this issue.
The Upper House also paid homage to former Supreme Court Judge, later Justice (retd) Rana Bhagwandas, for his services in the field of judiciary to the country.
Outgoing Senate Chairman Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari in his remarks said that he was committed to his profession and held high level of integrity.
Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice presented a report of the committee on the Anti-Rape Laws (Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill 2014.
While committee report on the Privatization Commission (Amendment) Bill 2013 was also presented in the House.
State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Aftab Sheikh spoke on a motion of thanks regarding the president’s address to both houses of the Parliament on June 2, 2014. The house decided to wind up the debate in the upcoming week.
To another question, Chairman Senate referred a matter regarding former Indus Water Commissioner Syed Jamaat Ali Shah, who was exonerated from the charges in the inquiry conducted against him, to the committee concerned.
Senator Sughra Imam pointed out that the commissioner was first declared guilty but later he was exonerated from the charges.
Earlier, during the question hour, State Minister for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali spoke about the Neelum-Jhelum Hydro Power Project and added that the estimated cost of the project had risen from Rs 80 billion to Rs280 billion due to delay in it.
He said that the final cost of the project would be around Rs300 billion, adding the government intended to complete the project within the given deadline.