Babar questions missing incidents of bloggers

F.P. Report

Islamabad: Taking part in the discussion on the mysteriously disappeared Raza Mehmood Khan who went missing from Lahore on December 2 Senator Farhatullah Babar said that it was intriguing that most of the bloggers and activists who went missing were those who were advancing alternative theories of national security and disagreed with the official narratives. He said that the missing Raza Mehmood was known for advocating peace in the region particularly peaceful co-existence with India. This is against the state narrative of peace and security in the region he said.

Earlier he said the five bloggers who went missing and later returned homes were too scared to talk about their ordeal and have sought refuge in foreign lands. They too were known for posts that went against the official narrative of what constituted national security, he said.

Farhatullah Babar proposed that the recovered persons be encouraged to speak about their ordeal with the human rights committee of the Senate in an in-camera session. The Committee should then prepare a confidential report on the basis of their testimony which may then be taken up with state agencies. He also proposed disbanding the present commission on enforced disappearances and replacing it with another one which should also include experts in investigation. The commission has not been able to find out from the recovered persons as to who were their tormentors and it is time that it was disbanded.

Farhatullah Babar also raised the issue of the civilian post of DG military lands and cantonment  about which the chairman of the defence committee Syed Mushahid Hussain earlier had laid report in the senate. Serving army officers have been posted for the past almost two decades on this civilian post he said. This he said had raised questions of conflict of interest, violated the Prime Minister’s own orders at the time of allowing appointment last time, bypass the laid down procedure to route such summaries through the establishment division besides demoralizing the civilian officers of the cadre. He said that he apprehended that full facts had not been brought to the attention of the prime Minister in the summary.

Chairman Raza Rabbani said that he will take it up with Mushahid Husain Syed and inform the mover tomorrow about it. Farhatullah Babar also deplored and condemned the cursing of the Parliament and parliamentarians by some members of the Parliament itself. This only encouraged the anti parliament forces to further undermine the elected parliament he said.