Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Interior Monday approved PSDP budgetary allocations for the financial year 2018-19 whereas the committee also recommended that on-going projects should be given priority.

During the meeting, the interior secretary told lawmakers that budgetary proposals relating to PSDP were estimated at Rs 20,286.411 billion for which Rs 13,123.482 billion had been demanded by the ministry and its attached departments for on-going projects and Rs 7,162.929 billion for new projects.

According to the details, the Interior Ministry would demand Rs 4,387.07 million for Frontier Crops Balochistan, Rs 4,669.95 million for Frontier Crops KP, Rs 877.918 million for Punjab Rangers, Rs 1,197.476 million for Sindh Rangers, Rs 385.554 million for GB Scouts, Rs 627.861 million for Frontier Constabulary and Rs 300 million for Pakistan Coast Guards.

It was shared that an ongoing project related to China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would also need Rs 1,000 million while budgetary proposals also contained Rs 18 million for Directorate General of Immigration and Passports, Rs 795.92 million for Federal Investigation Agency, Rs 450 million for National Police Bureau, Rs 55.5 million for National Police Academy, Rs 95.962 million for Civil Defence, Rs 200 million for Interior Division.

The Committee recommended that the Ministry of Finance should release funds timely for completion of said projects.

Meanwhile, the committee examined the Prevention and Control of Human Trafficking (Amendment) Bill, 2017 moved by Nafeesa Inyatullah Khan Khattak and the Trafficking in Persons Bill, 2017 moved by Babar Nawaz Khan.

While explaining his bill, MNA Babar Nawan Khan said that the bill is to make legislation against human trafficking as the human trafficking and human smuggling were two distinctive terms. However, the interior secretary was of the view that two similar legislations were already pending in the Senate while a bill in this regard was also moved by FIA, which would be placed for approval in next cabinet meeting.

Nafeesa Inyatullah Khan Khattak told that the present bill doesn’t cover within country human trafficking. However, a representative of the Law Ministry was of the opinion that it was a province matter and did not come under the preview of the federal government.

The committee decided to constitute a sub-committee under Nawab Muhammad Yousuf Talpur to deliberate upon both of aforementioned bills.

Syed Iftikharul Hassan, Nawab Muhammad Yousuf Talpur, Kanwar Naveed Jameel, Shaikh Salahuddin, Sher Akbar Khan, Dr Arif Alvi, Naeema Kishwer Khan, Babar Nawaz Khan, Aisha Syed, Nafeesa Inyatullah Khan Khattak attended the meeting, besides senior officers from the Ministry of Interior and its departments, Ministry of Law and Justice and Passport Office.

Published in Daily Times, February  27^th 2018.