Senators | Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Senators on Monday decried the latest hike in petroleum prices and costly energy, accusing the government of “economic oppression” and calling for an exit from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme. PTI’s parliamentary leader in the Senate, Barrister Syed Ali Zafar, termed the fresh hike in petroleum prices a “petrol bomb” and “economic oppression” against the public, regretting the Rs117.5 per litre levy. Speaking on the floor of the Upper House, Zafar rejected the government’s claim that international oil prices forced the increase, arguing that global crude prices had instead declined. “Instead of reducing prices, the government has sharply increased petroleum levies on the public,” he said. He said the government was collecting “more than Rs117.5 per litre in petroleum levy, far exceeding the IMF-agreed limit of Rs80,” terming the policy “daylight robbery” aimed at covering up “economic incompetence”. Referring to the French Revolution, Zafar said when the poor had no bread, Queen Mar...

ISLAMABAD: Senators on Friday voiced alarm over rising violent crimes against women and demanded stronger measures to improve the conviction rate, which the presiding officer, PPP Vice President Sherry Rehman, said stood at “only five per cent”. The debate began after Balochistan Senator Naseema Ehsan raised the killing of Rubina Chandio for alleged ‘honour’ in Sindh’s Tando Masti. “Rubina Chandio was killed in Sindh. She was given neither a funeral nor a shroud,” Ehsan said. She added that the woman was shot in front of a crowd, and the case surfaced after videos circulated on social media. “The culprits involved in this brutal murder should also be hanged publicly,” she added. Police suspect that Chandio was killed in a karo-kari case in Khairpur district. ‘Honour killings’ persist despite the 2016 anti-honour killing law that removed the option of pardoning by heirs. HRCP data says over 470 women were killed in the name of ‘honour’ in Pakistan in 2023. Rehman called the situation “deeply distressing and un...

Senators demand accountability

• PTI senators slam ban on meetings with Imran • Law minister says jail superintendent responsible for meetings, denies solitary confinement claim ISLAMABAD: Senators on Fri­day called for keeping tabs on the use of social media platforms by children under 18, with the chair proposing a special committee to develop safeguards in consultation with relevant ministries. The issue was raised through a calling-attention notice moved by Senators Falak Naz, Fawzia Arshad, Aimal Wali Khan, Saadia Abbasi and Dilawar Khan. Presiding over the sitting, Senator Sherry Rehman said some checks were needed and suggested forming a special committee comprising representatives of the ministries of information technology, interior, education and law, along with parliamentary parties and provincial governments. She said the final decision would rest with Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani. Speaking on the notice, Senator Naz said most platforms were designed for adults and warned that children’s exposure to inappropriate content ...