Jammu, Mar 8: Despite support from the ruling party members, a private member Bill to repeal the Enemy Agent Ordinance, 2005 failed in the Upper House on Monday after government assured that it would bring a new legislation.
 Despite support from treasury benches and moved by MLC Murtaza Ahmed Khan on behalf of Nizam-ud-Din Khatana, the Bill “to repeal the Enemy Agent Ordinance 2005’, was rejected by voice vote.
 Opposing the Bill, Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Sagar said the government would bring necessary amendments in the Enemy Agent Ordinance which was enacted decades ago.
 Admitting that there were around 180 cases registered under the Ordinance across the state, he assured the House that official Bill would be introduced in the House shortly.
 Tabling the Bill in the House, MLC Murtaza Khan said the Ordinance has lost its relevance at the present but was being misused by the police across the state.
 “The ordinance was enacted by Maharaja when the raiders from North West Frontier Province of Pakistan attacked various places of Jammu and Kashmir soon after division of country,” he said.
 He said the Maharaja had no other option but to bring in the Ordinance to meet the situation at that time. “However, it has become a toll in the hands of police and security forces to harass innocent people,” he said.
 Khan exchanged arguments with Sagar when the former accused the government of framing innocent youth and referred Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which according to him was also being misused across the state.
 National Conference MLC Khalid Najeeb also supported the Bill while asserting that the law has lost its relevance with the passage of time. “It was mandatory for the government to repeal the Ordinance”, he said.
 Congress MLC Naresh Gupta also supported the Bill saying that some police officers were misusing the law for their own vested interest.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 8 Mar 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 8 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 9 Mar 2010 00:00:00 IST