The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs on Wednesday deferred the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) Implementation Bill 2011 after some of its members raised concerns over some clauses of the proposed legislation.
The committee, which met here with MQM’s Farooq Sattar in the chair in the absence of committee chairman Asfandyar Wali, reviewed the bill. Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir told the committee that the proposed bill had no relation with the war on terror, and as many as 164 countries had ratified the international convention that prohibits the production and stockpiling of biological and toxin weapons.
The foreign secretary further told the committee that around 132 countries, including India, Israel, United States and the United Kingdom, had taken steps to implement the international convention.
The committee asked the foreign secretary to explain a clause of the bill which stated: “the federal government shall designate any law enforcement agency or agencies for the enforcement of this Act, or it may entrust any of its functions under the Act to any government body, agency or entity.” The committee members also asked him to specify the agency which should be tasked to enforce the act.
The proposed bill prohibits the use of biological weapons in Pakistan or anywhere outside Pakistan. It also recommends a death penalty or lifetime imprisonment, along with a fine of at least Rs 10 million for those who violate or attempt to violate the law. The proposed bill further says that materials, equipments, technologies as well as all movable and immovable property of such an offender who uses or attempts to use biological weapons shall be confiscated by the federal government.
