MAQSOOD TIRMIZI and NAVEED BUTT ISLAMABAD - Interior Ministry has informed the Lower House that a total 1,367 incidents of terrorism were recorded in 2008-09 in which 2,686 people were martyred while the total property loss due to terrorism was estimated at Rs 9,321 million. Though the Question Answer session was not included in the Thursday proceedings, yet the data provided by the National Assembly Secretariat disclosed that Interior Minister Rehman Malik in a written statement told that 67 incidents of terrorism took place in Punjab, 36 in Sindh, 544 in NWFP, 331 in Balochistan, 9 in the federal capital and 380 in FATA. According to the statement, 240 people were martyred in Punjab, 28 in Sindh, 1,285 in NWFP, 337 in Balochistan, 73 in Islamabad Capital Territory and 723 in FATA. The total number of martyred people touched the figure 2686. The province-wise property losses were estimated to the giant figure of Rs8.2 million in Punjab, Rs5.025 million in Sindh, Rs2141 million in NWFP, Rs35 million in Balochistan, Rs12.120 million in ICT and 7,119.636 million in FATA. To another query, Interior Ministry stated that 4,811 persons were convicted for human smuggling in the year 2008, while in 2007 they were 5022 and in 2006 the number touched 1,448 figures. According to data provided to NA secretariat by the Interior Ministry 8,208 cases of human smuggling were forwarded in 2008, 7029 in 2007, 6,245 in 2006, 4,641 in 2005 and 3,566 in 2004. As many as 277 people were acquitted in 2008, 216 in 2007, 262 in 2006, 180 in 2005 and 117 in 2004. He added that 6,029 human smuggling cases were decided in 2008, 6,098 in 2007, 2399 in 2006, 1654 in 2005 and 1063 in 2004. He informed the House that 9,237 such cases were pending in 2008, 8208 in 2007, 7029 in 2006, 6245 in 2005 and 4641 in 2004. Interior Ministry further told that 15 Station House Officers (SHOs) were offering their duties in Islamabad Capital Territory Police out of which five were matriculate, one was under-metric, six FA while other three were BA/BSc. Federal Minister for Finance Shaukat Tarin in a written statement informed the Lower House that 4,158.83 million notes amounting to Rs 1,223,717.61 million were circulating in the country. In a written reply, Tarin said, the rate of inflation in the country registered during the month of March 2009 was 19.1 per cent while the countrys present total foreign exchange reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan and commercial banks as on August 4, 2009 were $11,688.6 million. He stated that the Finance Division had allocated an amount of Rs 35,000.00 million for subsidy on fertilizer during 2008-09. Minister for Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin further stated that the income tax collection (Provincial) for the fiscal year 2008-09 stood at Rs443 billion and the sales tax collection for the fiscal year 2008-09 was Rs451.3 billion while the total number of overseas Pakistanis working abroad are 3.486 million and remitted foreign exchange is $7,811 million during the year 2008-09 affecting an increase of 21.1 per cent. To a question, Tarin stated that Pakistan had enough installed capacity of manufacturing sugar which could meet the requirement of its entire population. He added that Afghanistan having no manufacturing facility of sugar, imports it through transit via Pakistan and during the period from July 2008 to June 2009 Afghanistan has imported 14193.5 metric ton of sugar through transit via Pakistan. He informed that Collectorate of Customs Peshawar seized smuggling goods worth Rs325 million during the current financial year out of which not a single case of smuggling of sugar has been reported. He added that no consignment of sugar has been seized either by the Collectorate of Customs Quetta or the Directorate General of Customs Intelligence and Investigation. Minister of Commerce Makhdoom Amin Fahim in a written statement said that the total sugar stock available with Trade Corporation of Pakistan as on 17-07-2009 was 167,008 metric ton of local sugar stocks in sugar mills and 64,750 metric ton of imported sugar stocks in TCP Godowns. He stated that on the direction of Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet, TCP imported of 125,000 metric ton sugar from Thailand and Dubai of which 77,000 metric ton sugar has arrived and stored in Karachi Godowns. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Thursday declared that there was no option before the Parliament but to address constitutional issues including 17th Amendment, 58(2)-b and Charter of Democracy (CoD) to ascertain its supremacy. The Prime Minister expressed these views while speaking in the National Assembly that commemorated 63rd Independence Day of the country. Citing examples of lawyers movement for the independence of judiciary and media struggle for its freedom, the Prime Minister said that parliamentarians would have to assert as members of the supreme institution. We would have to make Parliament a strong institution so that no dictator can cast evil eye on it, he said. He said that the parliamentarians would have to struggle and play their role for the supremacy of the Parliament, strengthening of democratic institutions and resolution of issues like 17th Amendment, 58-(2)-b and Charter of Democracy, Gilani said. This parliament is a God-gifted opportunity. This house has unity and if it fails to address these issues then in future no parliament can be so strong as to protect the rights of its members, the Prime Minister added. He told the parliamentarians that people had pinned their hopes on them to change the system of the country, adding, The change could not simply be brought with the change of Prime Minister or the ministers. But the real change is to bring change in the lives of the people. He said that the role of opposition and media was beauty of democracy. We should not show displeasure on the criticism of the opposition and media because they inform the government of its weaknesses and play their role for good governance, Gilani said. About media, he said, it was facing a lot of criticism but he hoped that with the process of evolution it would get mature. He said that judiciary had made a long struggle for its independence. Today, we are not feeling good about the measures of judiciary but these are better for future of the country, he said. We pay tributes to those who struggled for strengthening of democracy and its institutions, he said. The Prime Minister also vowed to hold the next years Independence Day celebrations outside the Parliament and reiterated his commitment to make national institutions strong. He said that it would be in line with the supremacy of the House that next year the national flag would be fluttering at the Parliament House. Earlier, prior to the start of the proceedings of the National Assembly, the national anthem was played in the House before recitation of the Holy Quran. After recitation, the House prayed for unity and Pakistans security and sovereignty. Gilani said that it was a practice in the past that the Prime Minister along with the Senate Chairman and Speaker National Assembly would attend Independence Day celebrations in front of the Parliament House but regretted that it was no more due to security concerns. The Prime Minister paid tributes to the struggle of Quaid-i-Azam and all those leaders who had played their part in the creation of Pakistan. Earlier, at the start of the session, Federal Minster for Privatisation Naveed Qamar presented a motion in the House for suspending the business to debate on Independent Day, which would be celebrated today (Friday). The motion was adopted unanimously. On this occasion, the Speaker congratulated all the members and the nation on the 63rd Independence Day. She paid tributes to the Founder of Pakistan Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, national poet Allama Muhammad Iqbal and leaders who had struggled and given sacrifices for the establishment of Pakistan. While participating in the debate, Shaikh Aftab Ahmed of Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) congratulated the House and the people of Pakistan on the 63rd Independent Day. He said, We could not achieve the objectives of the establishment of Pakistan. Abolishment of poverty, supremacy of the Constitution, democracy and Parliament were big goals for the creation of Pakistan, he said. We have to play our role for the supremacy of the Parliament, if we miss this opportunity, the nation will never forgive us. More than one year of the new democratic government has past but today the Sword of 58-2b is also hanging on the Parliament, he said. Haider Abbas Rizvi of Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) said that Quaid-i-Azam wanted to make Pakistan an Islamic democratic state and for that elimination of feudalism was necessary. We will have to stop oppression on the poor people and give rights to the provinces. We have to make analysis and find the root causes of terrorism in the country. Riaz Hussain Pirzada of PML-Q said that the government should take steps for transparency and good governance. Pervez Khan of Awami National Party (ANP) stressed the provincial autonomy and resolution of the issue of small provinces. He said that Pakistan was facing serious issues and the government should take initiative to resolve them. We want a strong Pakistan, not a strong federation. We want to strengthen democracy and must block the ways of dictators, she said. Fozia Wahab of PPP said that her party wanted to strengthen the democratic institutions. We should give a vision for future of Pakistan. Today, it is not the occasion of point scoring, she said. Farzana Raja, Syed Zafar Ali Shah, Kashmala Tariq, Jamshed Ahmed Dasti, Sardar Bahadur Ahmed Khan Sihar and others also participated in the debate. Meanwhile, the Lower House also unanimously passed two separate resolutions during the debate on the 63rd Independence Day. Federal Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti moved a resolution in the House about the right of minorities including freedom of speech, expression, and association and to practice their religion without fear and obstruction. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mahreen Anwar Raja also moved a resolution about Women Parliamentary Caucus. Mahreen Anwar while reading out the resolution congratulated Dr Fehmida Mirza for being the first woman speaker, and the women parliamentarians on establishing the women Parliamentary Caucus.