ISLAMABAD - The gory Sahiwal incident in which four people were killed by police’s Counter Terrorism Department again figured high in the Senate on Tuesday which otherwise continued its debate on the Finance Supplementary (Second Amendment) Bill, 2019.
The Senate which resumed with Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani in the chair saw an interesting turn when PML-N Senator Javed Abbasi on a point of public importance raised the Sahiwal incident and insisted that federal government should announce a judicial inquiry without further delay.
“We need your ruling on the issue,” Senator Abbasi agitated claiming the issue was being delayed to hush up the matter.
He drew up attention of the chairman and said that the Standing Committee on Interior of which he himself is one of the members Tuesday heard the aggrieved families of the victims who are in extreme distress as they have no expectation of justice from the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) Punjab government had constituted to probe the incident.
The PML-N senator pointed out that Interior Committee has rejected the JIT on Sahiwal incident and formulated its recommendations which it will soon submit to the Senate Secretariat.
PPP Senator and former Chairman Senate Mian Raza Rabbani rising from his chair also supported Senator Abbasi, saying the entire Upper House is responsible to ensure that perpetrators of the crime committed in Sahiwal are made an example to forestall the possibility of any such tragic incident happening in the future. Supporting Senator Abbasi, he also demanded a judicial inquiry into the Sahiwal incident.
Responding to the points raised by the opposition members, Leader of the House Shibili Faraz said treasury benches have no objection to the demand for a judicial inquiry.
He said he himself had heard the Prime Minister Imran Khan while chairing a recent meeting of party’s parliamentarians that government has no objection in ordering a judicial probe into the Sahiwal incident. “I shall take up the matter with the Prime Minister and the Cabinet to address the points raised by the opposition members today”, he assured the House.
Earlier, taking part in the debate discussion on the Finance Supplementary (Second Amendment) Bill, 2019, PPP leader Sherry Rehman said no relief has been provided to the common man and only a particular class has been facilitated in the budget. She said even the budget does not contain any mechanism to meet revenue targets.
She said Foreign Direct Investment has crashed by 77 percent and a massive cut on development budget will inflict a negative impact on backward areas of the country. Sherry Rehman said the PTI’s government has added 1500 billion rupees to country’s debt by decreasing rupee’s value.
She said that government will have to take the House into confidence about the amount of foreign loans and on which conditions they were acquired.
Siraj-ul-Haq said the government is toeing the line of World Bank and the IMF and it has failed to provide respite to poor people of the country.
He said the government is printing new currency notes to hide its inability to run the economy in an amicable manner, which will also increase inflation rate in the country.
Senator Mehar Taj Roughani said the measures taken in the Finance Bill will help revive the industrial sector, which will create jobs for the youth.
She stressed the need to boost Halal meat sector. She said the government believes in freedom of media and it has facilitated that sector in import of news print.
She said Finance Bill is a reform package aimed at development of Pakistan.
Pervaiz Rashid said PML-N had started mega projects in the country, but the PTI government has not initiated any project, despite taking loans of billions of dollars.
Kabeer Muhammad Shahi termed the budget as mobile tax instead of any relief package. He said 67 development schemes meant for Balochistan have been capped.
He said no progress has been seen on Kachi canal project since this government has come to power. He also urged the government to address the issue of low gas pressure in Balochistan.
Kalsoom Perveen said Balochistan has been ignored in the mini budget. She said polio workers in Balochistan perform their duties in very harsh environment and they should be regularised. She said Rekodiq and Saindak projects should be developed in the best interest of the province and Pakistan and the province should be exempted from all taxes to promote business activities in the province.
Ayesha Raza Farooq said the mini budget is silent over circular debt, trade deficit, enhancing revenue, and broadening the tax base.
Those, who spoke on the occasion, include Abida Muhammad Azeem and Manzoor Ahmed.
Responding to a Calling Attention Notice moved by Sherry Rehman regarding missing of revenue collection target, Minister of State for Revenue Hammad Azhar said the government is committed to provide enabling environment for economic development in the country. The Minister of State corrected that the current revenue shortfall stands at 162 billion rupees instead of 175 billion rupees, which will be covered in next six months.
He said the government did not opt indirect taxes to avoid any additional burden on common man.
He hoped that revenue target of 4398 billion rupees will successfully be achieved as the government would collect revenue through enforcing Device Identification, Registration, and Blocking System on new imported mobile sets and Gas Infrastructure Development Cess arrears.
He said shortfall impact of the measures announced in the secondary Finance Bill is about 6.8 billion rupees, which will be covered from allowing non-filers to purchase up to 1300 CC cars with enhanced tax ratio.
Hammad Azhar made it clear that revenue shortfall does not cause economic slowdown.
The House was adjourned to meet again on Thursday afternoon.