Rehman Malik-led senate body condemns Afghan President’s statement

Islamabad: Senate Standing Committee on Interior in its meeting on Friday in Parliament House strongly condemned and rejected Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s irresponsible and anti-Pakistan statement on Twitter. The meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior was held today on Friday in Parliament House under the chairmanship of Senator A. Rehman Malik. The meeting was attended by Senator Muhammad Javed Abbasi, Senator Muhammad Azam Khan Swati and Senator Muhammad Yaqoob Nasar and senior officials from Ministry of Interior, Religious Affairs, Law and Justice, Chairman, DG and other officials from NADRA. Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior Senator A. Rehman Malik informed the committee that yesterday he has taken suo-moto notice of the issue of hundreds of Pakistani pilgrimages Zaireen stranded at Pak-Iran border, Taftan Balochistan. He said that he was informed that around 12, 00 pilgrims were stranded for the last two weeks at the Iran-Pakistan border due to lack of security needed to escort their buses to Quetta. He said that he talked to IG FC Balochistan South Region Major General Saeed Ahmed Nagra and Director FIA who assured them of full facilitation to the stranded pilgrims. He said that he applauds FC Balochistan for its prompt action to bring the pilgrims to Quetta and also for providing them food, shelter and other basic amenities.  He said that the lives of the Zaireen including women and children remain at high risk due to spending nights under the cold sky without proper shelter, food and drinking water. He directed that the Federal and Provincial authorities to make immediate arrangements for rescue of Pakistan Zaireen from Taftan and a detail report on the matter of Pakistan Zaireen stranded at Taftan should be sent to the Committee immediately for further necessary action. He said that there is no structural monitoring procedure and no SOP is being followed to monitor and facilitate these zahreen as it is creating serious crises each year.  He directed that the Ministry of Religious Affairs in collaboration with Ministry of Interior, Government of Balochistan and concerned authority must formulate and finalize a plan to regulate and facilitate the Zaireen on the model Hajj pilgrims are being regulated and facilitated. He said there should be Ziaraat Policy like there is existing Hajj Policy. The Ministry of Religious Affairs informed the Committee that they in coordination with Ministry of Interior will be finalizing the proposed plan soon and will be sharing with the Committee. Resolution against Afghan president Ashraf Ghani for his anti-Pakistan tweet: The Senate Standing Committee on Interior in its meeting today strongly condemned the anti-Pakistan tweet of Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani. Terming it highly irresponsible, Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior Senator A. Rehman Malik has asked the Government of Pakistan to register a serious protest with the Government of Afghanistan and demand President Ashraf Ghani to withdraw his irresponsible statement immediately and tender apology. He said that he would like to remind Mr. President Ashraf Ghani a meeting between the then Prime Minister of Pakistan and Afghan then President Hamid Karzai in Kabul where Mr. Ashraf Ghani was also present as NSA and he as  then Interior Min of Pakistan. He said that during the meeting he proved the Afghan Intelligence interference in Balochistan and KPK with solid proofs. He said that he knows about the RAW-NDS Nexus active against Pakistan with a different mode this time.  He added that in the said meeting, President Hamid Karzai had to say that first settle with USA to end this interference and then we would stop funding the camps of Brahumdagh Bugti who was then accommodated by you next to presidential palace. Senator A. Rehman Malik moved a Resolution which was unanimously adopted by the Committee. He reads the Resolution as “The Senate Standing Committee on Interior strongly condemns and rejects Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s irresponsible and anti-Pakistan statement on Twitter, which is factually baseless and a gross interference in the internal affairs of Pakistan. Pakistan is passing through serious security threats, as terrorists groups are being sponsored and energized from the other side of the border. Pakistan has been persistently and with full sincerity has been supporting Afghanistan in their most difficult movements and has been hosting more than 3 million Afghanis since last three decades. The present role of Pakistan in peace process is being recognized internationally whereas the Tweet of President Ashraf Ghani is a clear interference in our internal affairs and it is self-confession of President Ghani in promoting violence in Pakistan. The Committee unanimously calls upon the Government of Pakistan to register a serious protest with the Government of Afghanistan and demand President Ashraf Ghani to withdraw his irresponsible statement immediately and tender apology to the people of Pakistan.” Senator Javed Abbasi applauded Senator A. Rehman Malik for the Resolution and said that President Ashraf Ghani is pack and parcel of Indian Spy Agency RAW and he is playing in India hands against Pakistan. He said the President Ashraf Ghani is well exposed after this statement that he is working for India against Pakistan. “Actually President Ashraf Ghani is annoyed for being ignored in peace talk so by his tweet, he wanted to divert people attentions”, said Senator Javed Abbasi. Senator A. Rehman Malik said that the people of Pakistan and Afghan have special relationship of love & care as Pakistan is still hosting Afghanis migrants on our soil adding President Ashraf Ghani should better to look into sufferings of own Afghani first and facilitate them to return to their homeland instead to interfere in Pakistan by showing fake sympathies. He said President Ashraf Ghani should not express his anger on Pakistan if Americans and Afghan do not trust him in peace talks. Committee also discussed Sahiwal incident wherein found people including three members of the same family were killed by CTD Officials on January 19, 2019. Chairman Committee Senator A. Rehman Malik told the Committee that he has issued a reminder to the Prime Minister Imran Khan in his capacity Interior Minister about the committee decision to constitute a Judicial Commission as per demand of the committee members and victim families of Sahiwal incident. He said that Committee was waiting for the Court decision about the constitution Judicial Commission. He said that this Committee will follow the case till its logical conclusion and satisfaction of the victim families. Senator Javed Abbasi said that he doesn’t understand why Federal Government is delaying the formation of Judicial Commission and why the government is hesitant to do so. Committee also considered and discussed in detail the point of public importance raised by Senator Muhammad Yaqoob Nasar regarding the hurdles faced by the people in issuance of CNIC. Senator A. Rehman Malik directed the Chairman NADRA to facilitate the people during their process of registration and they must not be discriminated for any identity. Chairman NADRA explained the rules and regulations for public that their identity could be proved before issuance of CNIC. Senator A. Rehman Malik said that people with Pashtun identity due to their similarity with Afghanis are facing hurdles and difficulties while getting CNIC but it is time that NADRA bring an end to it. He said that laws could be amended to ease the process of registration and to facilitate the people especially those who are un-educated. Chairman NADRA said that district committees are appointed under the respective DC to verify the documents of the people whose identities are doubtful. He said that 2.4 million Afghans were registered as refugees initially to provide them the financial aid but about one million claimed that they are repatriated to Afghanistan for getting aid of settlement. He explain that NADRA is taking help of verification agencies to get authentic information regarding these 156, 000 doubtful cases to make sure that these people are not fake and illegal immigrants. Chairman Committee Senator A. Rehman Malik said that they are well aware of the security situation and threats to our country but the process of verification should be same for all and across the country to avoid any kind of discrimination.  He directed the NADRA to revisit its policy of 7 -documents required for registration, and facilitate the people maximum and also ease the process as to how verify the doubtful.