False report about Fazl and Swati’s arrest: JUI senators demand action against private TV channel
PEER MUHAMMAD & QAMAR UZ ZAMAN
ISLAMABAD: Seriously reacting over a false report on a private TV channel about the arrests of JUI chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman and Minister for Science and Technology Azam Khan Swati at Doha airport, the JUI Senators in the Upper House of the Parliament on Tuesday demanded of the government to take stern action against the channel and the journalist.
The senators also vowed to move resolution and privilege motion in both the Houses of Parliament, seeking appropriate action against the responsible persons. A private TV channel reported that Fazl-ur-Rehman and Azam Khan Swati had been arrested at the Doha airport on their way to United States despite the fact that both the leaders were present in Pakistan at that time.
On a point of order in the Senate, the JUI senators also demanded a legislation to check such misreporting and maligning of politicians. It was a misreport as both leaders are in Pakistan and even attending the Senate and the National Assembly sessions, said a party senator Ghulam Ali on a point of order.
“Maulana sahib is sitting in the National Assembly and Azam Swati is in the Senate. And the reports about their arrest are nothing more than misreporting,” he added. He condemned that media is relying on unauthentic reports, saying that it should abstain from committing such blunders. “Such acts will not only tarnish the image of our leaders but also the country and the nation,” Ghulam Ali maintained.
He also demanded of the government to take action against the channel and against the journalist who filed the story. Party Secretary General Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri described the report as shameful. “This needs proper legislation as maligning anybody without any reason and logic is unjust,” he stated.
Ismail Buledi, another JUI senator said that his party members wanted to move a resolution and privilege motion against the false report, as he described such propaganda against the dignity of the country. Besides, the lawmakers in a debate expressed reservations over the lack of monitoring of the substandard and contaminated food items and inefficient government machinery to check issues of public interest.
Interestingly, the issue was taken up by Federal Minister for Science and Technology Azam Khan Swati who pointed out that there was no law to check the menace. He said that his Ministry frequently had warned the general public that almost all bottled water is unhygienic and unsafe and the Ministry is working to amend rules as whenever action is taken against such culprits, they move courts and get the process delayed due to flaws in laws and prosecution methodology.
He said he had warned the government against circulation of contaminated water through 5,000 utility stores but no action has yet been taken by the concerned ministry. Later, the chair referred the matter to the concerned committee. Former information minister Senator Mohammed Ali Durrani urged the government to take action against the culprits in larger public interest. Leader of the House Syed Nayyer Hussain Bukhari agreed to the notion and said that the matter should be referred to the concerned committee.
Leader of the Opposition Senator Wasim Sajjad said the government time and again claims the sovereignty of the parliament, however, if parliament’s decisions are not implemented, there would be no sovereignty of the parliament. Senator Salim Saifullah Khan joined the voice of Sajjad saying that if the parliament’s decisions are not implemented, then other forces would move in and take decisions. Chairman Senate Farooq H Naek referred the matter to the Senate Standing Committee on Law and Parliamentary Affairs and asked it to table its recommendations within 30 days.
Source: Business Recorder
Date:9/22/2010
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