Proposals for committees on FCR, judges submitted to PM
ISLAMABAD, April 1: The law ministry on Tuesday submitted summaries to the Prime Minister’s Secretariat for the formation of parliamentary committees for repealing the Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR) and reinstating deposed judges.
The federal cabinet in its maiden meeting on Monday had decided to form the committees.
Each committee would include four members, from the four ruling coalition partners, whose names were to be approved by the heads of these parties, a government official told Dawn on Tuesday.
The committees, to be headed by Law Minister Farooq Naek, would start functioning immediately after approval of the members’ names by the Prime Minister’s Secretariat.
The sources, however, said it was not clear whether the committee on the judges’ issue would consider a complete constitutional package or a simple bill for the reinstatement of judges.
The sources said that the coalition parties were considering the possibility of introducing a package that would repeal a ban on a person becoming prime minister for the third time, introduced by President Pervez Musharraf before the 2002 general elections; scrap Article 58(2)b and reduce the retirement age of judges of the superior courts, thereby settling a number of issues.
At present, the retirement age of a judge of the Supreme Court is 65 years and that of a high court judge 62 years.
For repealing the Article 58(2)b, political analysts believed the government would have to introduce Eighteenth Constitutional Amendment bill for which it might need the support of the PML-Q in the Senate to get the required two-thirds majority.
Insiders said that the coalition government was already in touch with PML-Q senators and it expected a positive response from the party which had supported the 17th Constitutional Amendment mainly for incorporation of Article 58(2)b into the Constitution.
The prime minister’s announcement to abolish the FCR has evoked both applause and criticism. Its latest critic, Senator S.M. Zafar, termed the decision ‘ahead of its time’ and said that the law should be scrapped only after first developing Fata.
Though bitterly criticised by human rights organisations, the FCR is in force in seven federally-administered tribal regions and six frontier regions.
In a statement, the senator reminded that the Senate’s Committee on Human Rights had taken up the issue of FCR and had sent its recommendations to the federal government.
“As a first insolvent, the suggestions given by the Senate committee should be implemented because it removes all draconian and anti-human right provisions but allows the improved system to operate till Fata can be assimilated into a province,” he said.
Source: Dawn
Date:4/2/2008
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