ISLAMABAD - The senators on Thursday called for an end to alleged abuse of lawmakers of both the houses of the parliament at the hands of security agencies to coerce them to vote for the upcoming controversial “Constitutional Package.”
The lawmakers, both from treasury and opposition, raised the matter before the Senate at a time when the multi-party coalition struggles to push the constitutional amendments through the parliament despite a lack of required two-thirds majority. The development came a day after Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal said his party’s two senators including a female were being mistreated to forcefully get their votes for the proposed 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill.
BNP-M Senator Naseema Ehsan even stopped short of bursting into tears when she told the house that she was in a fix. “The sanctity of the veil and four walls has been violated,” she said and called for holding a dialogue to resolve the “problems.” She appealed to the political opponents to talk to her party chief and leadership if they wanted to get a vote from her.
It was Awami National Party (ANP) Senator Aimal Wali Khan who first spoke over the issue. Referring to Mengal’s statement, he questioned how police forced into the Parliament Lodges, the place where lawmakers reside, and confined Senator Naseema to her lodge. “I want to lodge a complaint with the government about this method to get votes,” he said, adding that minor children of lawmakers are being harassed. “This is disregard not only for the senators but also for the Senate and the system,” he said.
The Parliamentary Leader of PML-N in the House Senator Irfan Siddiqui said the points raised by Senator Aimal were not an honour for any government and were condemnable in every time as no one could endorse them. He said the minister concerned should look into the matter and address the reservations. “All this is shameful for all of us and for the house,” he said.
Senator Siddiqui also said the protest call of PTI for today to block the amendments was premature as the party was negotiating with JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to find a solution. He urged the PTI not to harm the interests of the country.
Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen Pakistan (MWMP) Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas taking part in the debate pointed out that PTI Senator Saifullah Abro had been missing for the past many weeks. “No one knows where he is?” he said. The lawmakers are facing an ever-increasing pressure before the amendment would be put to vote, he noted.
The PPP parliamentary leader Senator Sherry Rehman urged the government to protect the senators from any kind of harassment at the hands of security agencies.
The PTI parliamentary leader Senator Ali Zafar underlined the government was unnecessarily celebrating the conduct of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit. “It cannot claim development by suppressing the cries of the people,” he said. He demanded that families of parliamentarians should be protected from the strong-arm of the state. He pointed out that only three or four senators of his party were in attendance in the house and others were absent for fear of being abducted to get a vote for them for the bill.
JUI-F Senator Kamran Murtaza said it was not a solution to the problem the way two senators of Akhtar Mengal’s party are being controlled. He warned that both lawmakers belong to Balochistan, a province that is already “burning.”
Murtaza told the government that his party would not vote for the bill if such “coercive tactics” continued to be used against them. “Even lawmakers of my party are being bullied and verbally abused,” he said, questioning why Senator Naseema was being forced to resort to violence like other Baloch youth. He threatened that some five or six senators were ready to resign if the situation persisted
“I am a witness that members are being pressured. I’ve seen dozens of police personnel outside the lodges,” ANP Senator Umer Farrooq Kasi said. He viewed that such methods would be counterproductive as any person having some ego would not succumb to such pressure to vote for the amendments.
Senator Kasi threatened to tender the resignation if the matter was not resolved. He deplored that Chairman Senate Yousaf Raza Gilani did not give a ruling over the matter before leaving the house.
On this, Deputy Chairman Senate Syedaal Khan ruled that Senator Naseema can either meet chairman or him in their chambers, adding that all senators, especially women, are very respectful.
HOUSE PASSES RESOLUTION
Earlier, the house passed a resolution with a majority of votes that congratulated the government on holding the multilateral SCO Summit “exceptionally” successful in Islamabad. The PTI opposed it with Senator Zafar saying “no nation can thrive if its people are subjugated.”
“The success of the Conference is demonstrated in both letter and spirit, indicating a turn in the road for Pakistan’s place in the world,” reads the resolution moved by PPP Senator Sherry Rehman.
“We trust that all the progress made at this event will go a long way in Pakistan’s growing geo-economic profile and role in enhanced regional connectivity, investment, infrastructure, climate and security goals,” it adds.