ISLAMABAD: A legislative body of the Upper House of parliament on Monday condemned the new wave of killings in Indian-held Kashmir (IHK) at the hands of Indian security forces. They asked the United Nations and international human rights organisations to break their silence and take action against India for its brutalities against oppressed Kashmiris. Lawmakers at the meeting of Senate’s Standing Committee on Interior unanimously passed a resolution to condemn rights violation in the occupied valley. Chaired by Senator Rehman A Malik, the meeting was attended by senators Shibli Faraz, Kalsoom Parveen, Muhammad Javed Abbasi, Kauda Baber and Muhammad Ateeq Shaikh. The interior secretary, Capital Development Authority (CDA) chairman, Council of Islamic Ideology chairman, FIA Cyber Crime Cell director and officials from Ministry of Law and Justice. The committee was also briefed by the Ministry of Interior on the Exit Control List (ECL) and identified some “lacunas” in the current policy. The committee was of the view that the ECL was being used as a tool of punishment. Malik said that one must not be placed on the ECL unless proven guilty of any serious offence. He said putting the names of accused persons on the ECL was not appropriate and the committee would take opinions of all stakeholders on it. He said that the committee’s main concern was to make the ECL policy clear to facilitate the public through parliament. “Influential people get their names removed from the ECL and the poor become the victim of the discriminatory policy,” he said, adding: “We need to amend the present policy of the ECL.” He proposed that the word “Competent Authority” should be replaced with word “Federal Secretary, Ministry of Interior”, and said that nobody should be placed on the ECL unless ordered by the trial court or the Supreme Court. He asked that all those names, which had been included in the ECL during the last three years with no decision from any court, should be removed from the ECL with immediate effect. He added there was no need to revisit the rules, criteria, procedure and SOPs for placing anyone’s name on ECL or black list, and the person concerned should be informed within seven days without affecting his basic human rights to get relief from the court. Malik asked the Ministry of Interior about the procedure under which any investigative agency requests the government for putting anyone’s name on the ECL. The interior secretary said that the home committee reviews the cases forwarded from the agencies and then forward it to federal cabinet for final action. Meanwhile, the PTA chairman briefed the committee about the progress on measures taken to safeguard the Cyber Borders Security Control System. The PTA chairman said the authority would raise $2.5 million from cellular companies to buy the equipment needed for cyber protection. He said that the PTA had arranged $2.3 million. Malik appreciated the PTA and said that he had advised the government to buy equipment worth $25 million for PTA to block blasphemous material, anti-Islam views, anti-Pakistan material and pornographic contents. Published in Daily Times, October 23rd 2018.