Senate question hour: 50 Chinese arrested for fake weddings with Pak girls

ISLAMABAD: The Senate was informed Friday as many as 50 Chinese nationals, involved in fake weddings with Pakistani girls had been arrested by FIA since 2015 while three Pakistani girls had returned home while five cases were registered at different circles of FIA.

Interior Minister Ijaz Ahmed Shah told the House in a written reply to a question by Mian Ateeq.

The Senate was told that there were a total of 151,781 (CNICs) digitally impounded cases, and of these 121,889 were complex, whereas 29,892 routine cases.

During the question hour, Interior Minister Ijaz Ahmed Shah said that Sindh topped with 34,886 cases, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 28,266 cases while 72 cases pertained to people belonging to Gilgit-Baltistan.

“The issue of citizenship is now in the hands of Nadra and tomorrow, Chairman sb you can be declared foreigner. Those blocked include 90 percent Pakhtuns,” said Senator Usman Khan Kakar of PkMAP.

Senator Kalsoom Parveen of PML-N, who had led a sub-committee to Quetta, where they met 34 Balochistan MPAs, were told that the process of scrutiny and verification was extremely complex, as if they were CIA agents. Senator Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini of BNP-Mengal said that there were issues with regard to blocking of CNICs, but insisted the process must be transparent and assessment be correct and there should be injustice to none.

Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Muhammad Azam Swati said that the matter was extremely sensitive and involved sensitive agencies but there could be mistake from anyone. He insisted that the step was aimed at correcting the wrongs, as these earned bad name for the country.

The chair asked Senator Kalsoom Parveen to lay the sub-committee report so that a debate could be held on it in the House.

Minister for Railways Sh Rashid Ahmad came under scathing attack from the opposition as well as treasury senators for paying little attention to his ministry and focusing on politics even during his media talks. He was also criticised for the five major train accidents.

Senators decried the fact that the question hour was being held after a gap of four months yet Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Muhammad Azam Swati was replying on behalf of railways minister and other cabinet members. To this, the chair said that the minister had in writing informed about his pressing engagement. The Chairman Senate, however, deferred some related questions.

PML-N Senator Mushahidullah Khan even quipped was ‘Tik Tok’ system being launched, when Swati said that new train tracking system and other equipment would help in lessening accidents. PPP Senators Sherry Rehman, Sassui Palijo, PML-N’s Dr Ghous Bakhsh Niazi and Mian Ateeq Sheikh of MQM-Pakistan grilled the missing minister for taking more interest in political matters than his own ministry.

To a question by Senator Muhammad Talha Mahmood, he said that during the last three years, 24,961 cases had been registered, 22,657 challaned, 14,284 convictions made while fine worth Rs1,403.2 million was imposed, whereas recoveries worth Rs12,387.66 million had been made.

Railway minister, through a written reply, informed the House that a total of 3955.95 acres of railway land had been encroached upon by various sectors, which included commercial (87.03 acres), residential (1261.75 acres), agriculture (1815.26 acres), defence department (251.24 acres) and government departments (540.67 acres).

The House was also told that 1.4 million Afghan POR card holders, 0.84 million newly-documented Afghans and 0.5 unregistered Afghans were living in Pakistan while Senator Kakar alleged that the UNHCR funding meant for them was not being properly spent on them. To this, the chair referred the matter to the House standing committee concerned.