September 18th, 2020
By Haider Kaleem
ISLAMABAD
In an exclusive conversation with VoicePk.net Shahid Khaqan Abbasi elaborated on the mechanics of political engineering in Pakistan.
“I had detailed discussions with the members who were absent during the last parliamentary session when the FATF bills were passed. Some of them did have legitimate reasons for not being present at the proceedings but many did not. All I’d say is that not everyone can withstand pressure”, explains Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.
Discussing the contents of the FATF bills Abbasi stated that there were a total of 14 bills out of these 2 were passed without amendments, 2 were rejected because they stipulated long detention periods & could be manipulated while 7 were passed with amendments.
The bills which were rejected included the “Electronic Terrorism Bill”, which gave security forces the right to detain anyone for 90 days and then ask for an extension in this period of detention. Similarly, the government proposed amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedures of Pakistan, this amendment would have given local police a weapon equivalent to section 7 of the ATA which we all know is widely exploited.
“The entire fiasco reeks of mal-intent on part of the government”, he asserts.
