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ISLAMABAD: In a unique act of apparent protest, the Senate on Tuesday blocked the passage of five bills transmitted by the National Assembly over the treatment of bills passed by the Upper House but still pending in the Lower House.
Ruling PMLN Senator Anusha Rehman expressed regret that bills passed by the Senate and transmitted to the National Assembly were not being taken up for consideration. She sought the views of the ministers present.
Presiding over the eventful sitting, former deputy chairman and PPP Senator Saleem Mandviwala deferred the bills until Friday. He noted this was a serious issue that demanded a demonstration of seriousness.
Taking the floor, Law and Justice Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar assured the House that the matter would be taken up with the National Assembly Speaker, “who works in a friendly manner.”
The blocked bills listed on the orders of the day included: the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Amendment) Bill; the Newspaper Employees (Conditions of Service) (Amendment) Bill, which were to be moved by Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar; as well as the Zakat and Ushr (Amendment) Bill; The Al-Biruni International University Bill; and the Corporate Social Responsibility Bill.
The House also passed several important bills. One was a bill to criminalise necrophilia (sexual acts with corpses) through an amendment to Section 377 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
The statement of objects and reasons of the bill, moved by Samina Mumtaz Zehri, notes that many countries respect the dignity of the dead and have criminalised necrophilia. It stated that in Islam, special sanctity is granted to a dead body, citing a teaching of the Holy Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). It argued the crime falls under the ambit of Zina and Hudd, a violation of Divine Law, and therefore must be penalised.
Another bill, moved by Samina Mumtaz Zehri and adopted by the House, prescribes punishment of imprisonment up to one year, a fine, or both for any person in charge of a hospital (public or private) who refuses to provide first aid or free of cost medical treatment and to prepare a medico legal report without delay for a rape victim.
The statement of objects and reasons says sexual assault is traumatic and requires understanding, compassionate and sensitive care immediately afterward, especially for forensic evidence collection. It noted that cases have been reported where victims are saddled with medical bills or refused treatment, and the amendment aims to penalise such criminal negligence.
The House also continued its discussion on the recent Tarlai mosque terrorist attack. Speaking on the occasion, Senator Bilal Ahmed Khan noted that while tragedies do not happen every day, Pakistan’s conditions and history are different. He said he does not consider the Islamabad attack a mere tragedy but a problem that did not arise suddenly.
He wondered if Pakistan has ever truly tried to solve problems like terrorism.” He also questioned a recent TV comment suggesting the solution lies in hanging politicians, asking how it was decided politicians are the root of evil.
Senator Afnanullah Khan called the Tarlai attack an attempt to weaken Pakistan and contended that parliamentarians have a duty not to spread the fire ignited by the enemy. He claimed that when the PMLN came to power in 2013, there were daily explosions, but his party’s government conducted operations, jailed terrorists, and eliminated terrorism by 2018.
He questioned why terrorism restarted and pointed out that then President Dr Arif Alvi in 2020 gave a general amnesty to 100 terrorists. “The people we crushed and who left our areas were resettled. The political leadership and military leadership of that time are responsible for terrorism,” he stressed, underlining the need to admit past wrong policies.
Senator Afnanullah also argued that the opposition repeatedly talked about Basant celebrations, whereas the Punjab chief minister had canceled all official events. He noted that Aleema Khan admitted she celebrated Basant and that Latif Khosa also did so in Lahore.
PPP parliamentary leader Sherry Rehman noted that such an important issue was being discussed, but the session was not live-streamed. “I am recording the protest on behalf of all senators. We have been discussing such an important issue by suspending the House routine business for two days. The Ministry of Information should be asked immediately to fix this,” she emphasised.
PTI parliamentary leader Barrister Syed Ali Zafar said he had raised the issue a day earlier as well. He remarked, “Earlier only our speeches were censored. Today the entire House is being censored.”
Leader of the Opposition in the House, Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, pointed out that while an in-depth discussion on terrorism was ongoing, the interior minister was not present, urging seriousness from the government on this sensitive issue.
The chair noted that four ministers were present but reiterated his desire for the interior minister to attend. Dost Muhammad of the PTI stated he was a Muslim and regretted that terrorism has persisted since Pakistan’s creation. He accused the interior minister of being interested only in jailing PTI leaders and workers and in cricket. He claimed Imran Khan’s era was peaceful, with no drone attacks or explosions, while the menace increased during Nawaz Sharif’s era. He also questioned the interior minister’s whereabouts.
Maulana Abdul Wasay of the JUIF also criticised the interior minister, charging that he “arrests people and plays cricket.” Regarding foreign policy, he maintained, “China is said to be our best friend, but they have not signed the peace board on Gaza, while we have made Iran and Afghanistan our enemies. If you want to talk about such issues, then identify the real factors.”
