Discussion on the 5% increase in GST also took place
The Senate on Wednesday concluded the debate on the motion regarding the attack by terrorists on Army Public School (APS), Peshawar.
The Senate resumed its session with Chairman Syed Nayyer Hussain Bukhari in the chair. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Sheikh Aftab Ahmed introduced the bill to amend “The Anti-Money Laundering Act 2010” in the House.
The chair referred the bill to the standing committee concerned for examination and report. Responding to the points of order, the Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Muhammad Asif said that the electricity price was reduced by Rs 2.92 due to the falling prices of petroleum products and some management measures.
He said that out of this Rs 2.32 have been passed on to the consumers while 60 paisas have been adjusted. About the increase levied in GST on POL products by five per cent, he said there was an import duty loss of Rs 70 billion due to reduction in prices of oil in the international market.
He said the loss is expected to reach Rs 175 billion if we take into account the loss of taxes at sale points. He said that the five per cent increase in GST has been made to compensate that loss.
Earlier, Mian Raza Rabbani, Zahid Khan and Kamil Ali Agha criticized the increase in GST rates for POL products and the insignificant relief that was passed on to electricity consumers.
Taking part in the debate, Pakistan People’s Party member Suriya Amiruddin said that Islam exhorts its followers to acquire knowledge about terrorists and why they are targeting schools and students. She said that the dastardly act has brought shame to Pakistan in the comity of nations. She appealed to the nation to get united to fight the menace of terrorism for a secure future.
Syed Zafar Ali Shah of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) said that terrorists are sparing no institution and their attack on APS united the entire nation. He said the prime minister immediately invited the national leadership to sit together and find answers to this problem. Shah, however, was of the view that military officers should not preside over special courts, as they are not trained for the purpose.
Hafiz Hamdullah of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) regretted that the federal government issued an alert to the provincial authority about a possible attack on APS in August but no measures were taken to prevent the tragedy. He said those guilty of dereliction of their duties should be held accountable.
Winding up the debate on the Peshawar terrorist incident, the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that the present government has taken concrete measures to address the challenge of terrorism.
