Ehsanullah Ehsan case: government complains of being kept out of the loop

The government informed the Senate on Friday that Interior Ministry is not in the loop in former spokesman of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Ehsanullah Ehsan case, raising concerns among Senators who warned any delay in his trial will disappoint the masses.
During the question-hour, the government came under severe criticism for acting as a silent spectator as it did not press the case when Peshawar High Court (PHC) was hearing a petition filed by the father of a victim of Army Public School (APS) massacre for speedy trial of the terrorist.
Senator Farhatullah Babar of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on supplementary question asked why the Interior Ministry has no clue about Ehsanullah Ehsan, a self-confessed murderer of 150 children of APS Peshawar, even though it is the focal ministry under National Action Plan (NAP).
He regretted that interior minister took more than nine months to finally admit the civilians had no role in policy-making in fighting militants as it is dealt with by mysterious unnamed agencies. He asked: "What does it prove?"
Babar said that the minister's statement is a clear admission that notorious TTP chap was in the military agencies' captivity while the interior minister remained unaware of it. To this Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said: "Exactly these were questions which came to my mind during a briefing."
The question asked by Senator Babar in June, last year read: "Is it correct that Ehsanullah Ehsan has publicly claimed responsibility for several gruesome attacks on security forces, civilians and state institutions? If yes, what are details of terror incidents and the number of those martyred and injured in each terror incident owned/claimed by him? Whether have cases been registered against Ehsanullah Ehsan subsequent to his admission together with details thereof? And whether will cases registered against Ehsanullah Ehsan be tried in military courts? If yes, when will the trial happen? And if not, why is it not so?"
Senator Sirajul Haq of Jamaat-e-Islami asked whether there are more TTP persons in custody of agencies besides Ehsanullah Ehsan and what is being done about them. He also wanted to know if it is a policy for them to make confessions and then go scot-free.
Senator Babar said that his term as a senator would soon expire and asked the presiding officer Colonel Syed Tahir Hussain Mashhadi ((retd) to give a ruling that the issue will be pursued even when he will no longer be in the Senate, being the matter is very important and of critical nature.
However, Mashhadi said that he would bring the matter to attention of Chairman Senate Raza Rabbani for a ruling. Senator Nauman Wazir Khattak of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) flayed the government for not pursuing the case as PHC is already seized with the matter. He alerted there are reports that the terrorist might be given clemency which would cost the country, dearly.
This prompted Mashhadi to say that no one is above the law and insisted that Interior Ministry should share detailed reply with the House. He also asked the minister to approach the Ministry of Defense in this connection and inform the House next week.
PKMAP Senator Usman Kakar said that cases are being registered against politicians within no time but when it is a matter of hardcore terrorist, who has confessed his involvement in terror activities, his fate is yet to be decided.
"This will create fear and even cause chaos among masses. It will not be wrong if I say that at which rest house he [Ehsanullah] is being kept as he is neither in jail nor at any police station," he wondered. To this, Mashhadi said that the authorities would be keeping such a 'monster' in custody in the national interest and agreed the delay is causing concern among people and the sooner his fate is decided the better it would be.
However, Talal Chaudhry said that there is no question of giving clemency to him and the authorities have already taken a decision to proceed against him under the law of the land and that is why his video clips were released.
To another question by Senator Kalsoom Parveen, Federal Minister for Interior Ahsan Iqbal, in a written reply, said that during the last six months, eleven cases of rape and nine cases of child abuse had been registered in the federal capital.
Replying to a supplementary question by Senator Babar, Minister for States and Frontier Regions Abdul Qadir Baloch revealed that Ziaur Rehman, who was in BPS-18, was commissioner for Afghan Refugees, Peshawar, confirming the post was of BPS-19-20.
However, he explained that Ziaur Rehman had completed a course and could have been now promoted to BPS-19. He said the officer was appointed usually from DMG or any other service, whereas the incumbent officer was from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Ahsan Iqbal, to a question, said the police had incurred a sum of Rs 1.145873 billion on security arrangements/maintaining law and order during sit-in and protest rallies in Islamabad during the last five years. Of these, Rs 33 million were spent on Tehreek-e-Minhajul Quran sit-in/ protest in 2013, Rs 755 million on PTI and PAT protests and sit-ins in 2014, Rs 210 million on protest/lockdown by PTI in 2016, Rs 12 million on protest by religious parties against atrocities in Myanmar in 2017 and Rs 133 million on Khatam-e-Nabuwat protests by religious parties on October 24-November 27.
To a question by Senator Chaudhry Tanvir Khan, Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb said that various agencies are to pay Rs 3.176 billion to Pakistan Television, PTV-Home, PTV Sports, PTV News, PTV English and Channel-3.S