ISLAMABAD: Chairman of Senate Raza Rabbani on Thursday condemned the US drone strike in Kurram Agency and said that the attack was a breach of Pakistan’s sovereignty.
The chairman said that the Senate of Pakistan strongly condemned the US drone strike. “The US drone attack is a breach of Pakistan’s airspace and sovereignty.” He said that the Pakistani Senate was sending a strong message to the US. “Pakistan will not allow any breach of its airspace or sovereignty,” said the Senate chairman.
In the wake of several complaints of breach of the condition of secrecy of proceedings held in-camera by the House and its Committees, the House Business Advisory Committee of the Senate in a special meeting held today decided to add the following rule 255A in the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate 2012.
255A: “Where a member of the House or any person specifically participating in any in-camera proceedings, divulges or discloses any information regarding any part of the proceedings or comments or speeches or opinions expressed therein, such matter shall be required to appear before the House Business Advisory Committee, and after being given an adequate opportunity to explain the disclosure attributed to him, may be suspended for a term not exceeding 30 consecutive sittings of the House”. Leader of the House Raja Zafarul Haq and Opposition leader Aitizaz Ahsan presented the amendment and passed unanimously.
Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Sheikh Aftab Ahmed informed the House that New Islamabad International Airport will be made operative during the next six months. He was responding to a calling attention notice moved by Saleem Mandviwalla and others regarding the delay in the opening of the airport. Sheikh Aftab Ahmed said work on the metro bus project and two roads were also underway for access to the airport and these projects would be completed very soon.
Over a call attention notice, Chairman Senate referred the matter of promotions of high officials in National Bank of Pakistan to senate standing committee on finance to probe the matter and report the House within one month time.
Meanwhile, the Senate was informed today that Rs10 billion had been released by the Federal Government for rehabilitation of the Temporarily Displaced Persons (TDPs) of FATA during the last fiscal year. Answering a question during the questions hour, Minister for States and Frontier Region Abdul Qadir Baloch informed the House that the amount had been transferred to Temporarily Displaced Persons Secretariat for execution of prominent reconstruction projects.
He said a total of Rs 15 billion were allocated for this purpose during the last year.
Published in Daily Times, January 26th 2018.
