The senators said major incidents occurred in the country such as killing of Osama bin Laden in Abbotabad, attack on GHQ, attack on Kamra, etc but no one knows who were behind all these incidents.
Senator Syed Tahir Hussain Mashhadi of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), who was also the mover of the adjournment motion, said that victims' families of the APS demanded judicial enquiry, but despite the passage of one year, nothing took place. Chairman Senate Raza Rabbani observed that a museum should be built which would be a living memory of the APS martyrs. His suggestion was promptly endorsed by Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, who said so many countries like Japan have set up special museum for their martyrs.
He said that APS tragedy was the darkest incidents in the history of Pakistan, adding that Naltar plane crash in which ambassadors of different countries were killed, "The diplomatic corps in Islamabad is yet to be informed how the plane crashed," he added.
Senator Farhatullah Babar of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) demanded publication of inquiry report into the attack on APS as well as inquiry reports in killings of journalist Saleem Shahzad and Hayatullah, the Bannu jail break, the attack on Hamid Mir, the Kargil debacle and the May 2011 OBL fiasco.
Taking part in the debate on an adjournment motion he urged that the issue of publication of APS attack inquiry report be referred to the Senate Standing Committee on Defence to make recommendations for a way forward. He said the veil of secrecy must be lifted and the APS inquiry reports be made public so we get to know the masterminds, the perpetrators, what went wrong and where and more importantly how to address the fatal shortcomings.
The families of the martyred children in particular and the people in general will continue to twist and turn till they are provided some details and no amount of compensation to them will satisfy them, he said. Meanwhile during question hour, the government disclosed that toll plazas on all motorways in the country had been let out to Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) while toll plazas on the GT road had been let out to private contractors through a bidding process.
This was stated by the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs in reply to a supplementary question by Senator Farhatullah Babar who asked for details about toll plaza rented out to the FWO and its terms and conditions. The minister simply stated that the toll collection on motorways had been entrusted to FWO "under an arrangement".
Later talking to media senator Farhatullah Babar said that doling out of lucrative contracts 'under undisclosed arrangements to FWO was an important issue. On the one hand it involves the desirability of security establishment's involvement in industrial, business and real estate activities and the shrinking space of the civilian private sector in economic development on the other. He said that the issue will be agitated through other appropriate parliamentary instruments.
BILLS Ishaq Dar, Federal Minister for Finance, introduced two bills in Senate. They bills include - "The Income Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2016 and "The Financial Institutions (Secured Transactions) Bill, 2016". Chairman Senate Mian Raza Rabbani directed the senators to submit their recommendations on the two bills if there are any by January 04 as no recommendation would be entertained after the expiry of the deadline.
During question hour, the Minister for Commerce Khurram Dastgir said Pakistan was comprehensively engaged with Iran to enhance trade and economic relations with the fraternal country. He pointed out that the bilateral relations had witnessed an impetus following the visit of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to Iran in May 2014.
The minister said the two countries were committed to enhance bilateral trade to five billion dollars. He said government was working on several important projects with Iran, including gas pipeline project and import of electricity from Iran. Minister of State for National Health Services Saira Afzal Tarar said that Drug Regulatory Authority had been activated to ensure quality of medicines. She said it was for the first time in the country's history that a mechanism had been developed to check the prices of medicines. She said action had also been taken against pharmaceutical companies producing/ selling substandard medicines.
The Senate also unanimously passed The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2015. The bill was moved by Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to seek amendment in the Pakistan Penal Code 1860 and the code of Criminal Procedure 1898.