Opposition parties finalised their plans to block the Pakistan Protection Ordinance (PPO) in the Senate which would take up the controversial law during its session commencing on Monday, sources said.
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Awami National Party (ANP) – will try to block the legislation in the upper house and will be supported by the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) which has so far been with the PML-N.
Leaders of the opposition parties in Senate contacted each other on Friday to chalk out a line of action to block the proposed law, the sources said.
Mr Ghauri of the MQM termed the proposed law “dictatorial, inhuman, bloody, evil and merciless” and said his party would oppose it at every forum.
The leaders of the PPP, PML-Q and ANP supported his stance and pledged that they would never allow its passage in the upper house.
If the ruling party manages to present the bill, the opposition would oppose it and propose that it be referred to the Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice for necessary amendments, he said.
The PPO empowers security agencies to arrest anybody on the basis of ‘credible information’ regarding involvement in anti-state activities, terrorism and treason. However, ‘credible information’ has not been defined in the ordinance.
The PML-N government introduced the legislation in a bid to curb violence gripping the country.
