Human rights and minority affairs: House lacks standing committee, three years on

Minister for Minority Affairs says he will raise the issue.

LAHORE: Over three years have passed since the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) ascended to power but the Provincial Assembly (PA) still lacks a Standing Committee on Human Rights and Minority Affairs.

Lawmakers told The Express Tribune that the lack of the committee was particularly pressing as matters pertinent to the relevant department could not be referred onwards. Human Rights and Minority Affairs Minister Tahir Sindhu is the only provincial minister who presides over a department that does not have a standing committee.  MPAs said attention had been directed to this by him and other minority lawmakers but in vain.

Chapter XVII of the Rules of Business about Standing Committees has a list of the standing committees which should be formed and names a Standing Committee on Human Rights and Minority Affairs which does not exist in practice. The Provincial Assembly record states that it currently has 47 committees. Of these, 39 are for government departments, while another six are the Public Accounts Committee (PAC)-I, PAC-II, Privileges, Library, Government Assurance and Finance. The Business Advisory Committee and the House Committee are the remaining ones.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, MPA Zulfiqar Masih Ghori said they had taken up the issue several times but nothing had come of it so far. “No important issue related to human rights and minority affairs can be referred to any committee and simply gets sidelined. The committees have an important role to play when it comes to legislation. This has not been happening with regard to human rights and minority affairs,” he said.



MPA Shunila Ruth said in the absence of a standing committee there was no forum for minority representatives to raise their issues. “We can’t discuss or debate bills concerning us. I have submitted an application with the speaker. The leader of the Opposition has also submitted an application seeking early constitution of the committee but there has been no movement on this account,” she said.

Minister Sindhu acknowledged that there was no standing committee on his department. He said he would raise the issue with those concerned. Parliamentary Secretary for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Chaudhry Nazar Hussain said he would look into the matter.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 5^th, 2016.