[Current Affairs] September 17,2020 Top Pakistan Current Affairs for PPSC Test Preparation

What’s going on? After a lot of back-and-forth with the opposition, the govt managed to pass three FATF related bills during a joint session of parliament amid protests from opposition members. A joint session is when members of the Senate and National Assembly (NA) come together in the house chamber. The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) govt also introduced the Criminal Law Act (amendment) Bill, which suggests a penalty for people who “malign” the armed forces and their personnel. As for protests against the FATF bills, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan accused opposition members of trying to “protect their corrupt money” and “defang the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).”

The details:

• FATF legislation, Anti-money Laundering (2nd amendment) Bill: This has something to do with restraining money-laundering. The bill proposes diligent record-keeping requirements that apparently meet FATF standards. The anti-money laundering legislation got a lot of push-back from opposition parties, since NAB is a designated investigative authority. Critics claim that the bill allows arrests without warrants as well. The opposition thinks the federal govt will use NAB as a tool for political victimization. The opposition actually walked out while a PTI national assembly member read out proposed amendments to the bill. The opposition-controlled Senate rejected this bill last month after the NA passed it.

• FATF legislation, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Waqf Properties Bill: Aims to streamline the management, supervision and administration of Waqf properties. Any movable or immovable property donated for religious or charitable purposes is considered a Waqf property. The bill would put all Waqf properties (e.g. mosques, shrines, khanqahs, and dargahs), along with donations to these properties, under govt control. The opposition-controlled Senate rejected this bill last month after the NA passed it.

• FATF legislation, Anti-Terrorism Act (amendment) Bill: An investigating officer, with the court’s permission, can conduct covert operations to detect terrorism funding and track communications by using the latest technology. The opposition-dominated Senate rejected this bill earlier in the day after the NA passed it.

• Criminal Law Act (amendment) Bill: Includes a two-year prison sentence, or a PKR 500,000 fine, or both.

The bottom line: PM Khan believes the passed legislation will help remove Pakistan from the FATF’s grey list, (i.e. a list of countries that are under increased monitoring, and working with the FATF to counter money laundering and terrorist financing).

• Backstory: Rape is already a serious criminal offense in Pakistan. The punishment ranges from a minimum of 10 years in prison to death. Activists and legal experts are arguing that severe punishments that currently exist haven’t deterred rape crimes. In their opinion, the problem is the conviction rate. Perpetrators reportedly know there is a slim chance they’ll be convicted.

4. A committee to investigate enforced disappearances

The federal govt is forming a committee to investigate the rising number of enforced disappearances in the country. Federal Minister for Law and Justice, Barrister Farogh Naseem, will convene the committee. Members include the Minister for Human Rights, the Advisor to the PM on Accountability, Islamabad’s Chief Commissioner, Islamabad’s Inspector General of Police, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Directorate General, and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) Directorate General. According to the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), Pakistan’s Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (COIED) has failed to hold perpetrators of enforced disappearances responsible. Even though COIED has managed to trace missing people in a number of cases, there is reportedly a lack of accountability.