ISLAMABAD - The federal government in Wednesday’s Senate session forcefully rejected the notion that it has anything to do with the disappearance of the three key aides of former president Asif Ali Zardari from Sindh, saying maintenance of law and order was the sole responsibility of the provincial government.

Speaking at a point of public importance, Minister of State for Interior Balighur Rehman informed the Upper House that the federal government had nothing to do with the disappearance of the people from Sindh as maintaining law and order was the sole responsibility of the provincial government.

He said that the Sindh DG Rangers was approached in this regard, who told that the paramilitary force was also making strenuous efforts to recover the missing persons.

Commenting on a person who went missing from Islamabad Capital Territory, Rehman said that strict directions had been given to law enforcement agencies for the recovery of the said person.

Earlier, the PPP senators staged a walkout on the issue.

Raising the issue of the missing persons, Senator Taj Haider lamented that the state minister of interior was in the house but he was not responding to their concern.

Later, he led the party senators’ walkout.

MQM’s Tahir Hussain Mashhadi rose to charge that 169 workers of his party were also missing while there had been custodial deaths of 59 others.

He also walked out along with other MQM senators.

Later, the house also witnessed another walkout by the PML-N coalition partner PMAP from Balochistan and PML-Q over the issue of blocking of CNICs of Pashtun nations.

Senator Sardar Alam Musakhel of the PMAP and Senator Saeedul Hassan from the PML-Q, both from Balochistan, requested other opposition parties to stage a walkout over alleged maltreatment of Pashtuns by the government for blocking hundreds and thousands of their CNICs.

Despite the assurance given by the minister of state for interior that the government was looking into the matter, they staged a token walkout to protest the alleged discrimination.

Earlier, responding to a calling attention notice Minister for States and Frontier Regions Abdul Qadir Baloch told the house that the government believed in protecting the life and property of every citizen.

He said Levies, Frontier Constabulary and Khasadar operated in the Fata and were responsible for maintaining law and order in the area and to check infiltration along the border with Afghanistan.

The minister said that it was very difficult to man the 2,600km long porous border with Afghanistan; however, efforts were being made to seal the border.

He said that the Frontier Corps and the military could be deployed at a particular place if there was a credible threat perception.

The calling attention notice was moved by Muhammad Azam Khan Swati and others regarding the recent attack on mines in Mohmand Agency and the sufferings of the people of the Fata from terrorism and failure of the security agencies to provide security to them.  The house was adjourned till Thursday (today).