ISLAMABAD, JUL 9 (DNA) – Chairing the first Senate’s Foreign Affairs Standing Committee meeting, PPP Parliamentary Leader in the Senate, Senator Sherry Rehman said, “The Foreign Affairs Committee is an optimal parliamentary instrument for building consensus on key issues that beset the country at a difficult time in the region.

This is not a political jalsa, but an important venue for building stakes in inclusive policy-making, particularly when pressures from Afghanistan loom large, including the threat of civil war and escalating violence which could likely result in a spillover into Pakistan.

Since the task of any effective foreign policy is first to protect the country’s people, territory and state, it is crucial we have some meetings that are public in order to send a message to the world that Pakistan’s parliament speaks with a mature, self-confident voice about both our responsibilities in the region and limits on them.

 Peace both at home and abroad, connectivity, neutrality in Afghanistan and support for a negotiated political settlement that is Afghan-owned and led have been Pakistan’s stated policy since 2012, when strategic depth was officially jettisoned as both a plan and message to send to a sovereign Afghanistan. It is good to see that there is a multi party constant on these even today. Hence, it is important to discuss these issues in an open and constructive environment”.

“Members have voiced concerns about the impact of the accelerated United States’ exit, and the security vacuum that has ensued. We hope the security stalemate is resolved peacefully as talks continue in other regional countries, and we also hope that gains made in the last 20 years are not reversed.

There are natural questions based on a potential worsening of the crisis, and the fact remains that the Taliban are negotiating now from a position of unprecedented strength. Pakistan’s first priority must be to protect our population from a surge in violent extremism, as well as a constructed narrative from certain spoiler quarters that Pakistan has to bear the responsibility of both security and peace in Afghanistan. The burden must be shared by the region and international community in meaningful ways, and for this Pakistan must launch a diplomatic offensive for a big-tent conference that shares the task of negotiating peace, and shoring up a torn country driven by a war economy.”

 Rehman also said “It is not the best time to be making enemies in any geopolitical contest in the region or in the broader global context, given our exposure to the multilateral system. Pakistan should not get caught up in the crosshairs of any new great game, or at least manage a balance,” she added.

Vice President PPPP Senator Sherry Rehman concluded by saying, “The situation in Afghanistan needs to be carefully handled as Pakistan cannot afford any possibility which threatens our national interests and undermines our efforts for a peaceful solution to the Afghan crisis.

We have always supported a peaceful resolution of the Afghan conflict however, it is important to take into account the post-withdrawal situation and encourage a more inclusive system of governance to give peace a chance to flourish as this will help in the progress and prosperity of the region”.

The Committee was given a detailed briefing by the Foreign Minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi who said that we want peace and stability in the region. Dr. Moeed Yusuf, National Security Advisor to PM attended the meeting as a special invitee, and briefed the committee on the options and security prospects Pakistan faces. The meeting was also attended by Leader of the House in the Senate, Senator Shahzad Waseem, who asked about the economic crisis facing Afghanistan, Senator Mushahid Hussain, Senator Saadia Abbasi, Senator Faisal Javed, Senator Dr. Zarqa Soharwardy, Senator Walid Iqbal, Senator Samina Mumtaz, Senator Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti, Senator Palwasha Muhammad Zai Khan, Senator Muhammad Tahir Bizenjo, and Senator Anwar Ul Haq Kakar.

 Members were concerned about Pakistan’s responses in the event of more urban centres in Afghanistan falling, and agreed that there should be no sustainable military solution to Pakistan.

They also shared their views on potential risks to Pakistan in the event of a worsening crisis in Afghanistan. The Chair, Senator Sherry Rehman concluded by thanking all the members and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and said that the next meeting will be called in-camera for a more detailed briefing and candid inputs from members, but the committee will continue to serve as a nodal point for open discussions and constructive debate as well.=DNA

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ISLAMABAD, July 09, 2021: Honorable Mr. Justice Javed Iqbal, Chairman NAB chaired a high level meeting to review overall performance of NAB at NAB Headquarters.

During the meeting, briefing was given on the overall progress of NAB, especially initiatives taken during the present management of NAB under the dynamic leadership of Honorable Mr. Justice Javed Iqbal, Chairman NAB. It was informed that NAB had been established in 1999 and assigned with the responsibility of eradication of corruption and recovery of looted money from corrupt elements. Since its inception, NAB has recovered Rs. 814 billion directly and indirectly. Presently, there are 1273 references under trial in respected Accountability Courts Throughout the court and their total worth is about Rs. 1305 billion. It was informed that Honorable Mr. Justice Javed Iqbal, Chairman NAB after assumption of his responsibilities as Chairman NAB had taken various measures in order to revamp NAB and had chalked out an effective Anti-Corruption Strategy comprising Awareness, Prevention and Enforcement. NAB’s Anti-Corruption Strategy for eradication of corruption has been acknowledged by national and international organizations like Transparency International, World Economic Forum, PILDAT and Mishal Pakistan. As per Gilani and Gallup survey, 59 percent people have shown trust in NAB.

The year 2017 was the year of rejuvenation of NAB in which many initiatives were taken on the direction of Honorable Mr. Justice Javed Iqbal, Chairman NAB in order to pursue corruption cases on merit without any fear and favor under the Enforcement Strategy. The Enforcement Strategy of NAB proved very successful in 2018, 2019 and 2020. Due to this reason, the present management of NAB has decided to continue NAB’s Enforcement Strategy in 2021. The salient features of NAB Enforcement Strategy are as under:

NAB operations start its functioning about an alleged act of corruption & corrupt practices as defined under section 9. The process initiated with verification of the contents of the complaint received and the applicability of the provisions of law. This process is called Complaint Verification (CV) wherein the complainant is called for confirming the status and evidence available with him. Once it is determined that the alleged offence falls under NAO and available material justifies for further process, the same is processed for subsequent action. In the second step, inquiry under section 18 of the NAO is authorized to confirm the committal of offence and collection of evidence to identify the alleged person(s) involved. The record / evidence collection process is supplemented with recording of statements of witnesses and accused persons. This whole process is completed after due deliberations at each level by giving consideration to the role of Combined Investigation Teams (CITs) and in the Regional Executive Board Meetings (RBMs).

NAB has itself devised to rationalize the workload and timelines have been prescribed for efficient, effective and expeditious disposal of cases putting a maximum limit of 10 months- from complaint verification-to-inquiry-to-investigation and finally to a reference in the Accountability Court. In order to ensure uniformity and standardization, the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for investigation officers (IOs) in vogue were reviewed and revised in order to benefit from the experience and collective wisdom of senior supervisory officers, a system of CIT comprising of Director, Additional Director, Investigation Officer and a Senior Legal Counsel has been put in place. This is not only lending quality to the work but also ensures that no single individual can influence the proceedings. The implementation of enforcement measures and prosecution matters are being monitored in NAB through daily, weekly and monthly reports and inspections.

DNA

ISLAMABAD, JUL 9 – An In-House Discussion on the topic “Understanding the Legal Framework and Regulatory Regimes of Central Asia” was jointly organized by Area Study Center (Russia, China, and Central Asia), University of Peshawar, Peshawar and Center for Global& Strategic Studies, Islamabad at Peshawar to discuss the regional trade and investment legal framework.

This in-house discussion focused on examining the legal challenges, modalities, need for improvement in existing laws, and exploring new avenues of cooperation under revised legal framework.It was discussed that laws and regulatory Regimes of Central Asia will be studied by scholars and subject experts to get a better understanding and overview of their comparability with laws in Pakistan. Comparative analysis of these regulatory Regimes will also be ensured.

Mian Abdul Rauf Former Advocate-General Islamabad & Prosecutor-General of Pakistan under the Protection of Pakistan Act and Member Law and Justice Commission of Pakistanwas the Chief Guest at the occasion. He stated that modern day developments further exemplify the importance of effective legal frameworks in Pakistan and Central Asia. Highlighting the significance of the legal frameworks, he stated that, at present, the legal frameworks of states within Central Asia are variable. With the passage of time, uniformity must be deemed necessary in light of trade and commerce developments within the region. It is further imperative that inter-state commerce and trade be regulated by a coherent and comprehensive legal framework for the region in order to sustain economic development in the region. He stated that learning from the past and analyzing the future is important. He also stated that peace in Afghanistan is imperative which will open new gateways for Central Asia, Russia and other regional countries. Establishment of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATs) of SCO is a step towards integration with elimination of radicalization. 

Prof. Dr. Shabir Ahmed, Director, Area Study Center, (Russia, China, and Central Asia), University of Peshawarwhile addressing the forum said that the Centre’s scholars have been conducting research on Alternative Dispute Resolutions (ADRs), refugees laws and Pak-Afghan Trade Agreement. However, it was emphasized to study the trade and investment laws of the CARs to find out the discrepancies with Pakistan’s legal framework and accordingly address these issues. It is important that soft component of the regional integration i.e. harmonization and coordination of laws and regulations has been developed within the region. It was suggested that national human resource shall be pooled to help in this regard. We must focus and study on Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and must analyze how Pakistan can benefit from these projects.

Mr. Khalid Taimur Akram, Executive Director, Centre for Global& Strategic Studies, Islamabad explained in detail the evolving regional dynamics. He highlighted the importance of academic linkages in the developing scenario and the significance of international projection of Pakistan’s academia and scholars.  He stated that the laws of Pakistan and Central Asia are different, therefore, a detailed study must be done to ensure enhanced trade and commerce activities for the better interestof the region. Mr. Akram stated that we must utilize the human resource of Pakistan for laws and regulatory regimes.

Prof. Inayatullah Khan, Dean, Law College, University of Peshawardiscussed the compatibility of laws between Pakistan and Eurasia and provided a comparative study on the trade laws of Pakistan and Central Asia. He suggested to invest in the human resource of the academic sector of Pakistan, so they may study the trade laws and regulatory regimes of Central Asia and construct a comparative analysis of these laws with Pakistan. He was of the view that we should work towards integrating our cultures and laws with the Central Asian Region.

The In-house discussion was attended by approximately 30 participants including the law experts, Faculty Members and PhD scholars ofLaw departments from various universities of Peshawar.