Pak Senators for implementation of Quetta commission report in letter and spirit

Expressing concern over the impunity with which some banned militant organisations continue to operate in the country, the legislative body of the Pakistan Senate has demanded zero tolerance for such outfits and called for implementation of Justice Qazi Faez Isa's report on the Quetta carnage in letter and spirit.

Discussing the report of August 8 Quetta carnage that killed at least 72 people, including 53 lawyers of Balochistan, the legislative body said that it was not taken seriously, which clearly identified failure on the government's part, reports the Daily Times.

The report submitted to the Supreme Court by Justice Isa last month states that terrorist organisations must not be permitted to hold meetings, adding the people must be informed about the reasons for banning such organisations.

The report also regretted that Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had on October 21 met Maulana Mohammad Ahmed Ludhianvi, the head of three banned organisations - Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan, Millat-i-Islamia and Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat - to listen to his demands and concede to them as per media reports.

The report added that hypocrisy must stop and that there should be a nationwide streamlining of national policy and all government servants need to abide by it or face consequences.

Taking up the issue of protection given to some banned outfits, Senator Farhatullah Babar questioned the rationale behind protecting Jaish-e-Muhammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar from sanctions by the United Nations.

He claimed that China would not have stepped in to protect the Jaish unless Islamabad had asked for it.

"We need to know why an outfit that is banned in Pakistan as a militant organisation should be protected from sanctions by the UN," he said.

The committee decided to ask for clarification from the government on the issue.

Senator Aitizaz Ahsan told the committee that the report on the Quetta carnage revealed that action against banned organizations had not been taken, adding that all parties should adopt a clear policy on this.

Chairperson Nasreen Jalil claimed that not a single ministry bothered to write any correspondence over the Quetta report.

PML-N Senator Nisar Mohammad Khan said the government should not consider the report as just a piece of paper.