Letter creates storm in Senate’s teacup

Notices issued to three officers; privileges panel to probe the matter

ISLAMABAD:

A “proposal” from the bureaucracy asking the Senate to “reconsider” its recommendations on reconstituting policy and administrative boards to ensure equal representation of provinces landed it in hot waters after the upper house’s chairman on Thursday ruled that it was a breach of the Parliament’s privilege.

Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani issued notices to the Secretary, Joint Secretary of the Cabinet and the presiding officer of Secretary’s committee as he asked the Committee on Privileges to thoroughly investigate the matter within three weeks.

The committee was empowered to issue notice to any officer during its investigations.

The ruling came after 96-minute debate in the upper house during which over a dozen Senators lambasted the bureaucracy for breaching the Parliament’s privilege. Even though Rabbani restricted the debate to tone and tenor of the letter without going into its content, members found it as dictating to parliament and almost all speakers endorsed a proposal to have the privileges committee investigate it.

Senate’s Special Committee on Devolution Process had directed that “all policy and administrative boards, councils, bodies etc, constituted under various acts of parliament or established by an executive order, shall be reconstituted in order to ensure that equal representation is given to all provinces. Further, all laws/regulations, by-laws/executive orders shall be reviewed and necessary legislative amendments shall be carried out within a period of three months.”

In response, Joint Secretary of the Cabinet Dr Iram Khan had proposed that the Senate “reconsider the recommendations contained in the report of the Special Committee on Devolution Process.”

This angered Rabbani

“A joint Secretary is replying to the Parliament,” he said, adding that only the President can recommend to the Parliament.

“This is the respect the bureaucracy has for the Parliament…it’s appalling.”

Minister for Climate Change Zahid Hamid tried to defend the bureaucracy, as he cited the Rules of Business and explained that there was neither intention to flout instructions of the Parliament nor breach of privilege.

He was joined by Leader of the Opposition Aitzaz Ahsan who contended that the Cabinet Secretariat’s letter was in line with Rule 196 (3) of Rules of Business in the Senate as cited by Hamid, and that the matter should not be referred to the privilege committee.

“Nobody has given directions to Senate,” Ahsan argued, arguing that there was no contempt or malice.

But in his ruling, Rabbani argued that under the “given circumstances, I find it a fit case of contemp.



Farhatullah Babar said it is for the first time that the executive has challenged parliament’s authority,.

Ayesha Raza Farooq from the PML-N said she shared the sentiments of her colleagues to a great degree but the person who had written letter needs to be afforded a chance to give his side of the story. “Take a decision today or stop writing Senator with your name,” PML-Q’s Saeedul Hassan Mandokhail demanded.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 4^th, 2016.