ISLAMABAD - Senators from across the aisle protested in the house on Tuesday against Nadra’s alleged blocking of thousands of CNICs of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after marking those as suspect cases.
The lawmakers from both sides also deplored the killing of 20 labourers in Turbat, Balochistan and at the same time asked the Balochistan government and the security forces that the reported killing of the culprits of the incident in an operation was unreasonable and illegal as they should have been tried in a court of law.
On a call attention notice raised before the house on the issue of blocking of CNICs by National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra), a female lawmaker Sitara Ayaz said that CNICs of Pakhtuns, mostly living in Punjab, were being blocked despite the fact they were living there since the establishment of Pakistan.
She said that CNICs of Pashtuns were being blocked after being marked as of suspected Afghan refugees or of people having connections with militant organisations. “In Punjab, CNICs of people of KP had been blocked after their being suspected of having links with terrorist organisations,” she said, adding they would be forced to protest if the situation persisted.
State Minister for Interior Baleegur Rehman however denied that Nadra had blocked CNICs on the basis of ethnic ground and said that around 5 per cent out of the total identity cards issued from 2000 to 2004 without biometric verification were being blocked during renewal process for their onward verification through JVC (Joint verification cell).
He admitted that most of such cases were from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. He said that representatives of IB, ISI, MI and local administration were involved in the process. He said that if the data of such blocked card matched with a Pakistani family, then they were issued cards while non-nationals were denied such cards.
The minister dispelled the impression that Pashtuns were being singled out. Nadra is not involved in such process as there were other laws that deal with the people having links with the militant organisations. After Sitara Ayaz pointed out that process of verification was too long, the state minister said that the process was of 45 days but it would be expedited.
Senator Talha Mahmood of JUI-F was the first one who on a point of order raised before the house that 20 labourers in Turbat were killed after ethnic verification despite the fact that nine security personnel had been deployed there for their security. “Now it has been said that the culprits of the incident had been killed in an operation,” he said and sought assurance from the government over the death of culprits of the incident.
Senator Agha Shahbaz Khan Durrani said that the term estranged Baloch was not right as such people were terrorists. He demanded an operation in Balochistan on the pattern of the one launched in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after December 16 incident of terrorism in a school.
PML-N Senator M Hamza said that the killing of culprits of the incident was not the right thing to do as they should have been produced before a court. “Tit for tat manner is not right,” he said. Senator Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini said there was no writ of the provincial government in Balochistan and it was the responsibility of the state to provide protection to the citizens, he said. He further said that directions should be sent to Balochistan government to provide protection to the masses.
Farhatullah Babar criticised the way two officers of security agencies threatened a professor of Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) for holding a seminar on Balochistan and added that as a result of this the seminar had to be held in Islamabad. He also criticised the security agencies for killing the killers of the 20 labourers and added that people in Balochistan used to disappear and their bodies were dumped next day. He asked for the introduction of legislation to bring the security agencies under the parliamentary control.
Senator Mir Kabir Ahmed viewed that Balochistan government had deployed security for labourers but the security personnel unfortunately did not resist. Previously people could not travel on highways due to security reasons but now situation has improved in Balochistan, he said.
Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani asked the State Minister for Interior to get answer from Balochistan government about the incident and brief the house today (Tuesday). He asked Farhatullah Babar to raise this issue in the Human Rights committee also.
Senator Kalsoom Perveen on a point of order said that PTA had blocked 12.5 million SIMs earlier and now 50.5 million SIMs were being blocked. “Government should hold audit as to who were these people using such SIMs,” she added. She said that people in far off areas were facing problems in SIMs verification.
Senator Saeed Ghani on a point of order said that Special Assistant to PM on Aviation Shujaat Azeem was using the powers of Director General Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and Managing Director Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). The headquarters of CAA had been transferred from Karachi to Islamabad under his directions. “He is taking illegal decision at his own,” he said.
Mian Raza Rabbani censured the government for laying five ordinances in the Senate, including the General Elections, 2013, Inquiry Commission Ordinances, 2015, saying the government should desist from using Article 8 so frequently. Earlier, during the question hour, the chair observed that no minister could leave the house until disposal of business of the house after federal minister Saira Afzal Tarar left without answering some questions assigned to her.