The Senate standing committee of Defence and Defence Production, chaired by Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, met on Monday, 23rd July 2012, to mark the launch of the committee website, as well as its first report for the month of June/July. Chairman Senate Syed Nayyer Hussain Bokhari was the chief guest at the event along with other special invitees including Senator Talha Mahmood, Senator Rubina Irfan, Senator Iftakharullah Babar, as well as PILDAT representatives Mr. Ahmed Bilal Mehboob and Ms. Aasyia Riaz. Whereas Senator Chaudhry Shujat Hussain, Senator Raja Muhammad Zafar-ul-Haq, Senator Sehar Kamran, Senator Farhat Ullah Babar, Senator Ishaq Dar and Senator Sardar Ali khan were among the attending committee members.

The Chairperson Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed opened the meeting by stating that the supremacy of the Parliament is only possible through performance and leadership, and this is exactly what the committee website and report intend on doing. He thanked PILDAT for their cooperation in the publishing of the report, for which no government funding was utilized. This committee is the first of its kind to take such an initiative of coming up with a website and report within less than two months of its inception. The chair also mentioned that this report shall be issued every two months; the next report to be expected by the end of September. He went on to brief the Chairman senate regarding the work-plan of the committee, which included a visit to pay homage at the gravesites of the Nishan-e-Haider holders, in an attempt to raise the moral of the armed forces. The senate standing committee of Defence and Defence Production is also the first political leadership to pay homage to the Giyari sector Martyrs. Other plans include a comprehensive end of the year Defence Strategy Report, setting up of media reporting workshops, public hearing from experts and intellectual regarding the defence strategy and a proposed telecasting of committee sessions to increase the faith of the people in democracy.

This was continued with the official presentation of the report and website, which was followed by the message from the Chairman Senate who acknowledged the efforts of the committee and welcomed this initiation which is a positive development in making the activities of the Parliament more vibrant and transparent. The sovereignty and strength of the Parliament is dependent on the performance of the parliamentarian’s and this is definitely a move towards an effective democracy.

Afterwards, the members of the committee offered their perspective on such an initiative. Senator Ishaq Dar, leader of the opposition, and Senator Sehar Kamran commended the Chairman and the committee’s efforts and mentioned that we need more of this to deliver the democracy that this country needs. Senator Farhat Ullah Babar praised the efforts of the committee’s chairperson and stressed on the continuity of this momentum, and mentioned that the bridge between ‘khaaki and mufti’ has led towards enhancing the acceptability on the other side. He also urged the committee members to take the initiative of writing good articles on defence related issues. Senator Zafar-ul-Haq stated that the general perception is that the Parliament is not performing, and efforts such as these will definitely work towards changing this perception. Senator Chaudhry Shujat Hussain also admired the determination of the Chairperson and mentioned that this report will act as a guideline for the government and the opposition.

Senator Mushahid Hussain closed the meeting by thanking all the attending members and guests, especially the Chairman Senate Syed Nayyer Hussain Bokhari, and stated that the theme of the next report shall be based on the Defence of Pakistan.