- Chairman advises govt to convene in-camera session, brief senators on foreign policy, NAP
- Aitzaz Ahsan says he is biggest critic of govt’s performance but will always stand by govt in difficult times
Members from across the political divide joined hands in the Senate Thursday criticising the army’s statement about governance.
The senators said the performance of the military institutions was not also up to the mark but the civilian institutions cannot debate that in the open.
Speaking on points of order, the senators made it clear that they would not compromise on sustenance of democracy and supremacy of the parliament. They said the army should not become monitor of democratic government and the parliament.
Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani said he could not give a ruling on the issue but can advice that all institutions work by remaining within the scope of the constitution and law. He recommended the government to call a joint sitting of the parliament, and said that if that was not possible then an in-camera session of the Senate be held, where the members can be briefed about foreign policy and National Action Plan (NAP).
PPP’s Farhatullah Babar raised the issue while Leader of the Opposition Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, Nouman Wazir, Prof Sajid Mir, Usman Khan Kakar, Nihal Hashmi and Mohsan Leghari also took part in the discussion.
Farhatullah Babar said that poor governance exists in civil departments, judiciary and armed forces as well. He said that the way the army commanders raised the issue was wrong. Such statements depict government’s inefficiency, he added.
He said that the government should have given an explanation on the matter; however, they are not present. “That is why the government has been tagged with poor governance allegations,” Chairman Rabbani remarked.
He said that the government has neither a permanent foreign minister nor a defence minister.
Opposition leader Aitzaz Ahsan said that the army does not have any right to interfere in civilian matters. He said that government members appear in talk shows and target the opposition’s character.
Aitzaz Ahsan said that he is the biggest critic of the government’s performance but he along with other opposition members will always stand by the government in difficult times.
Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party’s (PkMAP) Usman Kakkar said that army is constantly interfering in foreign and interior policies. He said that policies are to be chalked by the elected leaders and not by the army.
The Senate chairman said that he could only recommend that the government limit the functioning of all institutions within the Constitution of Pakistan. The solution to these problems can be found in the Parliament, he added.
Senator Mohsin Laghari said that be it quakes or floods, the army is called every single time because civil institutions do not shoulder responsibilities. Army deployment is also needed for elections, he added. However, he said that army should not have breached the civil premises and talked about governance.
The House also held discussion on the first biannual report on the implementation of National Finance Commission Award.
Members emphasised the composition of new National Finance Commission should be completed at the earliest to finalise the Award.
They said the new NFC award should transfer resources to the provinces in a manner that is not just based on population and backwardness, but also keeps in mind the Sustainable Development Goals.
ARMY’S CRITICISM:
A statement released by the Pakistan Army’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) after a recently-held corps commanders conference had demanded the government to “match and complement governance initiatives” to supplement the ongoing military operation against terrorism from the country.
At the corps commanders conference on Tuesday, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif had acknowledged the nation’s support in the ongoing operations to eliminate terrorism. But the army chief also “underlined the need for matching/complimentary governance initiatives for long term gains of operation and enduring peace across the country”, said the ISPR statement.
