Senate body condemns ceasefire violations by India across LoC

ISLAMABAD: The Senate's Standing Committee on Interior Tuesday strongly condemned repeated ceasefire violations by Indian forces across the Line of Control (LoC) as it was endangering regional peace and also breaching United Nations laws.

Senator Rehman Malik, who was chairing the committee, moved a resolution against unprovoked violations across the LoC by the Indian forces in which innocent civilians were killed and injured. The committee unanimously passed the resolution.

Senators Javed Abbasi, Sardar Fateh Hassani, Shahi Syed, Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini and Muhammad Ali Khan Saif , besides Special Secretary Interior, Member Islamic Ideology Council (IIC) and officials of Law Ministry, attended the meeting.

Senators Rubina Khalid, Siraj ul Haq and Muhammad Azam Khan Swati attended the meeting as movers of their respective bills.

The resolution said the committee demands from the United Nations (UN) to take a serious notice of Indian unprovoked violations across the Line of Control and the Government of Pakistan to lodge serious protest in the UN for these violations.

The committee also offered Fateha for the martyrs and prayed for early recovery of those who were injured.

It also constituted a sub-committee with its members senators Rubina Khalid, Jehanzeb Jamaldini and Javed Abbasi on "The Criminal Laws (Amendment) (Protection of rights of Transgender Person) Bill, 2017" moved by Senator Rubina Khalid.

Rehman Malik tasked the sub-committee to decide either to include it as a new chapter in law or to bring amendment into the existing law. The sub-committee will also look into the subject bill and take input from Islamic Ideology Council, Law Division and Ministry of Interior on the bill, he added.

The committee was briefed by the Islamic Ideology Council about their stance on the bill.

Rehman Malik said that transgender persons were equal citizens of the country and their rights must be protected by either formulating new law or bringing necessary amendments into the existing ones. It was need of the hour to stop discrimination of transgender persons and it would be unfortunate if law discriminated them, he said.

He also suggested bringing a law under which stern actions could be taken against those parents who throw their transgender children out of homes at the mercy of society. He also appreciated Senator Rubina for bringing a law to secure rights of transgender persons.

The committee also considered and discussed the bill moved by Senator Muhammad Azam Khan Swati about transfusion of blood.   Rehman Malik said complications arose because of identification errors at the time of pre-transfusion blood sampling.

He said that there should be proper screening and laboratory tests for multiple diseases before transfusion of blood. Across the world highly scientific methods were being adopted for blood transfusion, he added.

After thorough discussion, the committee referred the "Islamabad Capital Territory Prohibition of Interest on Private Loans Bill" moved by Senator Siraj Ul Haq, to the Islamic Ideology Council for their point of view in consultation with the mover.

Rehman Malik asked the Ministry of Interior about the implementation of its recommendation in its previous meeting to suspend order of suspension of arms licence.

The committee said the notice of Cancelling Arms Licenses should be taken back immediately till the matter was not referred to the house for deliberation and final decision over it.

The committee also discussed the issuance of permit for bulletproof vehicles. Rehman Malik directed the Ministry of Interior to allow issuance permits for bulletproof vehicles to every citizen without any discrimination.