• November 22, 2016
• Access to Information
• Web Desk

ISLAMABAD –  The Right to Information Bill, 2016 was tabled in the Senate when it resumed with Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani in the chair yesterday.

The bill was introduced by five members from the opposition benches including Kamil Ali Agha, Farhatullah Babar, Rubina Irfan, Karim Ahmed Khawaja and Muhammad Daud Khan Achakzai.

The bill was opposed by the Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid prompting the chairman to put it before the 104-member House, which eventually adopted the bill with majority.

The bill was referred to the House Select Committee for further consideration.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage, Marriyum Aurangzeb who was welcomed on her first visit to the house after assuming the charge, informed the house that the bill would also be tabled in the National Assembly.

Later, the house paid rich tributes to senators Haji Muhammad Adeel from the Awami National Party (ANP) and Dr Jehangir Bader from the PPP who died this month.

Taking part in the reference, Senator Ilyas Bilour said that late Haji Adeel, whose family members have been specially invited to the house by the chairman on Monday, was the best political worker of the ANP. Haji Adeel had died few days ago of kidney failure.

Bilour said the late senator had never changed political loyalties and just like his father had worked with three generations of party’s top leaders.

He was elected three times as member assembly of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and had also worked hard in the 18th constitutional amendment bill and in the last National Finance Commission Award.

Senator Nauman Wazir from the PTI, while paying glowing tributes to the late senators, said that both Haji Muhammad Adeel and Dr Jehangir Bader were real political workers who had spent their lives for the rights of the down-trodden and the cause of democracy in Pakistan. Senator Wazir said that late Haji Adeel was a man of integrity and more like a family member.

Senator Muzafar Hussain Shah from Sindh praised the role of late Haji Adeel as a dedicated political worker and said that he fought for the rights of the people of his province.

Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed from Islamabad said both the late senators were great exponent of peace and engaged in politics at the grassroots level.

Senator Mashadi from the MQM, while paying rich tributes to Haji Adeel, said the late senator was an icon and a loyal political worker. He said that he was not from the ruling elite and had worked very hard for the cause of democracy and for the rights of the common man.

Senator Sirajul Haq from Jamaat-e-Islami said late Haji Adeel and Bader had never changed their political loyalties ever since entering into political life. He said that Bader started his political career from his student life, while Haji Adeel was always kind and straight forward.

Others who paid rich tributes to the late senators were Usman Kakar, Dr Jamal Deeni, Azam Khan Swati, Ahmed Hassan Khan, Kulsum Parveen, Farhatullah Babar, Saher Kamran, Hafiz Hamidullah, Shahi Syed, Barrister Javaid Abbasi and Mohsin Aziz.

They said services and role of late Haji Muhammad Adeel and Dr Jehangir Bader will always be remembered for their lifelong political struggle against dictatorships, cause of democracy and rights of the poor in Pakistan.

The Nation