"Under no garb can any information be kept secret from the Parliament...the more it [information] is secret, the more it requires parliamentary debate," he said. He also said it was unfortunate that the Parliament and the nation got to know about the decision of sending troops to Saudi Arabia through an ISPR press release despite clear guidelines of the parliament.
Senator Farhatullah Babar also cautioned the government of the repercussions of sending additional troops to Saudi Arabia. "If the troops were deployed along the Saudi Arabia-Yemen border, they could soon get sucked down in a quagmire under the doctrine of hot pursuit. It will be disastrous," he warned.
He said it was unfortunate that Defence Minister had assured that the troops will be confined within the Saudi geographical boundaries but refused to disclose deployment location.
Speaking on an issue of public importance, Babar criticized the 20-year extension by National Highway Authority (NHA) to Frontier Works Organization (FWO) for toll collection without bids.
He said that it was surprising that the decision had been taken quietly without discussing in Parliament and even without making it public. He further said that it was a surprising disclosure made by Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Aftab Shaikh on a supplementary question relating to the National Highway Authority (NHA).
"Not believing that it could be true, I went up to the Minister to ask about it and was profoundly shocked that it indeed was correct," he added. He said that the FWO had been given contract for toll collection without bids. "This highly lucrative contract was extended for 10 years during the days of Musharraf without bids and without debate," he said.
"Now it has been extended by another 20 years in what he said was geometric progression. By this mathematical model it will logically be extended in 2037 for another 40 years," he said. "This intrusion of security establishment in the field of economy without bids and public competition will create resentment among entrepreneurs," Babar said, pleading for a review of the decision.
The Chairman Senate also admitted a privilege motion against Chief Executive Officer of PIA for not complying with Senate instructions to report on a petition by some PIA employees against violation of their seniority right and directed the Privileges Committee to report within a week. The issue was raised by Farhatullah Babar who said that during the meeting of the Special Committee on PIA in December last the Committee chairman handed over to the CEO a complaint by some employees with an advice to furnish comments within seven days.
He said that the employees had also addressed their complaint to the Chairman Senate. Subsequently letters were sent to the CEO PIA to furnish comments but there was no response, he added. He further said that when no response was received, the Senate Secretariat approached the Secretary Aviation for intercession who also addressed letter to the CEO asking him on the phone also to furnish comments on the petition to the Senate Secretariat. However, there has been no forward movement while the term of the Senate was coming to an end, he added.
Chairman Raza Rabbani then referred the matter to the privileges committee with directions to report within a week.
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, while winding up discussion on a motion moved regarding government's policy of banning the issuance of licenses for automatic weapons in the country, defended the government decision. He said that issuance of licences for automatic weapons has been banned to check illegal weapons in the country. He said that illegal weapons are sold and purchased in the garb of licensed automatic arms.
He said that these weapons are usually used in terrorism and other crimes in the country. He said that banning issuances of licenses for automatic weapons is a good step taken in the right direction. He, however, said that positive suggestions from the Parliamentarians will be welcomed in this regard.
The chairman also expressed his displeasure over the absence of ministers who left the House to attend the cabinet meeting. "The government wants to convert the house into a debating society...the ministers have always taken the discretion of the chair," he said, adding that in terms of the ministers, the chairman Senate and Speaker National Assembly cannot exercise their discretion. Rabbani also instruct Minister of State for Interior, the only minister present in the House, to convey his displeasure to the Prime Minister with regard to absence of the ministers in the Senate.
Discussion on an adjournment motion regarding Pakistan's greenhouse emissions and its effects on the environment, the senators including Sherry Rehman, Ilyaz Ahmad Bilour, Jahanzeb Jamaldini, Usman Kakar and Rehman Malik called upon the government to take urgent measures to cope rising pollution.