A joint sitting of parliament on Wednesday managed to pass amendments in three bills crucial to the fulfillment of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) requirements amid strong protest and walkout by the opposition.
Prime Minister Imran Khan also attended the joint session which was chaired by National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser. Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif, PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Jamaat-i-Islami senators Sirajul Haq and Mushtaq Ghani and PPP senator Raza Rabbani also attended. The opposition members staged a walkout in protest after most of their proposed amendments to the bills were rejected and they were not allowed to speak.
In total, the joint session passed eight bills, which were either rejected by the Senate or pending there after passage from the National Assembly. The bills were passed by the National Assembly but rejected in Senate where numerical strength of the opposition members is high than the treasury lawmakers.
Advisor to Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan piloted six bills while Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf member Faheem Khan and Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari moved the Anti-Terrorism (Third Amendment) Bill, 2020 and the ICT Rights of Persons with Disability Bill 2020 in the House respectively.
The House passed the motion seeking leave to introduce the Islamabad Capital Territory Waqf Properties Bill, 2020, with a majority vote. A total of 200 lawmakers voted in favour of the motion and 190 opposed it.
The House also adopted amendments proposed in the bill by Parliamentary Secretary for Planning and Development Kanwal Shauzeb and rejected those suggested by Senator Muhammad Mushtaq.
The bills passed by the joint session included the Islamabad Capital Territory Waqf Properties Bill, 2020; the Anti-Money Laundering (Second Amendment) Bill, 2020; the Surveying and Mapping (Amendment) Bill, 2020, the Islamabad High Court (Amendment) Bill, 2019, the Anti-Terrorism (Third Amendment) Bill, 2020, Pakistan Medical Commission Bill, 2019, The Medical Tribunal Bill, 2019 and ICT Rights of Persons with Disability Bill 2020.
The Islamabad Capital Territory Waqf Properties Bill, 2020 is aimed at proper management and administration of waqf properties. Parliamentary Secretary for Law and Justice Maleeka Ali Bokhari, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Farooq H Naek proposed amendments in various clauses of the Anti-Money Laundering (Second Amendment) Bill, 2020. The House also adopted the amendments proposed by Maleeka Ali Bokhari but rejected the one by Shahiq Khaqan Abbasi and Farooq H Naek.
The Anti-Money Laundering (Second Amendment) Bill, 2020, suggests higher sentence and fines for offenders of money laundering and terrorism financing. The bill proposes that anyone committing the act of money laundering shall be punishable with rigorous imprisonment of up to 10 years and fine of up to 25 million rupees and shall also be liable to forfeiture of property. It also states that investigating officer with the permission of the court may use techniques, including undercover operations, intercepting communication and assessing computer system for investigation of money laundering and terrorism financing.
The Anti-Terrorism (Third Amendment) Bill, 2020 seeks to insert section 19C after section 19B in the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997. The new section 19C is about application of investigation techniques and states: “The investigation officer, may with the permission of court, within sixty days of such permission, use techniques, including undercover operation, intercepting communications, accessing computer system and controlled delivery for investigation of financing of terrorism under the law in force.
The aforementioned period of sixty days may be extended up to further period of sixty days by the court on a request made to it in writing. The court may grant extension, if it is satisfied, on the basis of situation/reasons given in the written request. The provision of this sub-section shall be addition to and not in derogation of any other law for the time being in force. The federal government may make rules to regulate the procedure and execution of orders for the purpose of this section.”
According to Statement of Objects and Reasons, “Terror financing is one of the major obstacles, which is not only playing a degrading role against the development of a country but also imbuing such elements with the financial means which are an ultimate threat against the internal and external peace of the country and the allies to the extent.
