Formation of standing committees in PA hits snags
Such committees examine whether or not a bill violates, disregards or is in accordance with Constitution
PHOTO: EXPRESS
LAHORE:
The Punjab government has completely failed in setting up standing committees of the Punjab Assembly, which according to the rules of the business, are mandatory to be formed within 90 days of election of the leader of the House.
As per the rules of procedure of Punjab Assembly, an elected government is bound to form committees within 90 days under sub-rule (3) of rule 150 but the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) government only set the direction of its first 100 days rather than making efforts to constitute PA’s standing committees.
The function of a standing committee is to examine a bill or other matter which is referred to it by the Punjab Assembly and after that, the committee submits its report to the house with its recommendations and suggestions for legislation which it deems necessary.
Such committees also examine whether or not the bill violates, disregards or is otherwise not in accordance with the Constitution. A standing committee may also propose such amendments that are within the scope of the bill, but the committee shall have no power of preventing the bill from being considered by the legislators. With the approval of the speaker, a committee may appoint a sub-committee for a specified function arising out of the matter referred to the committee.
Each standing committee consists of 10 members to be elected by the assembly while the minister and the parliamentary secretary concerned will be its ex-officio members.
The members of all the committees are elected, as far as possible, in accordance with the agreement of the leader of the house and the leader of the opposition and in the absence of a leader, his deputy parliamentary leader’s opinion is considered.
In case of no agreement between them, the members of each committee are elected by the assembly from amongst its members according to the principle of proportional representation.
There are 36 standing committees which needed to be formed yet. Standing committee on agriculture, auqaf and religious affairs, chief minister’s inspection team, colonies, communications and works, cooperatives, higher and school education and environmental protection are yet to be formed. Other committees include excise and taxation, finance, food, forestry wildlife and fisheries, health, home affairs, housing urban development and public health engineering. Even committees on human rights, industries, commerce and investment, information and culture, irrigation and energy labour and human resource, law (i) law and parliamentary affairs (ii) public prosecution are also yet to be constituted. Moreover, the government is yet to form committees on literacy and non-formal basic education, livestock and dairy development, local government and community development, management and professional development and mines and minerals. Committees on planning and development, population welfare, revenue, services and general administration, social welfare and baitul maal, special education, transport, gender mainstreaming women development, youth affairs, sports, archaeology and tourism and zakat and ushr have also not been constituted so far.
However, recently the provincial government introduced six bills in Punjab Assembly which were referred to the special committees concerned. There are two special committees working in assembly.
In earlier house proceedings, the opposition lawmakers had been expressing their strong reservations over the non-seriousness of the government and put their demands to form standing committees so that proper work could be run. They also expressed their gloom that only two special committees had been formed but the onus of the assembly’s business had been put on them. The standing committees are necessary to be formed to run proper and smooth work of the assembly, they maintained.
Talking to The Express Tribune Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat said they were working on the formation of standing committees. When asked about the delay in the formation of standing committees, he said they were waiting for the conclusion of the dialogue initiated between the federal government and opposition over a few issues. “They are calling a meeting in a few days in which the opposition would be taken into confidence over the matter of formation of the standing committees,” he remarked.
He said it was unjust if credit was not given to the Punjab government, claiming they introduced six bills in the assembly have been referred to the special committees concerned which meant they did not let the business of the assembly halt.
The Punjab government has completely failed in setting up standing committees of the Punjab Assembly, which according to the rules of the business, are mandatory to be formed within 90 days of election of the leader of the House.
As per the rules of procedure of Punjab Assembly, an elected government is bound to form committees within 90 days under sub-rule (3) of rule 150 but the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) government only set the direction of its first 100 days rather than making efforts to constitute PA’s standing committees.
The function of a standing committee is to examine a bill or other matter which is referred to it by the Punjab Assembly and after that, the committee submits its report to the house with its recommendations and suggestions for legislation which it deems necessary.
Such committees also examine whether or not the bill violates, disregards or is otherwise not in accordance with the Constitution. A standing committee may also propose such amendments that are within the scope of the bill, but the committee shall have no power of preventing the bill from being considered by the legislators. With the approval of the speaker, a committee may appoint a sub-committee for a specified function arising out of the matter referred to the committee.
Each standing committee consists of 10 members to be elected by the assembly while the minister and the parliamentary secretary concerned will be its ex-officio members.
The members of all the committees are elected, as far as possible, in accordance with the agreement of the leader of the house and the leader of the opposition and in the absence of a leader, his deputy parliamentary leader’s opinion is considered.
In case of no agreement between them, the members of each committee are elected by the assembly from amongst its members according to the principle of proportional representation.
There are 36 standing committees which needed to be formed yet. Standing committee on agriculture, auqaf and religious affairs, chief minister’s inspection team, colonies, communications and works, cooperatives, higher and school education and environmental protection are yet to be formed. Other committees include excise and taxation, finance, food, forestry wildlife and fisheries, health, home affairs, housing urban development and public health engineering. Even committees on human rights, industries, commerce and investment, information and culture, irrigation and energy labour and human resource, law (i) law and parliamentary affairs (ii) public prosecution are also yet to be constituted. Moreover, the government is yet to form committees on literacy and non-formal basic education, livestock and dairy development, local government and community development, management and professional development and mines and minerals. Committees on planning and development, population welfare, revenue, services and general administration, social welfare and baitul maal, special education, transport, gender mainstreaming women development, youth affairs, sports, archaeology and tourism and zakat and ushr have also not been constituted so far.
However, recently the provincial government introduced six bills in Punjab Assembly which were referred to the special committees concerned. There are two special committees working in assembly.
In earlier house proceedings, the opposition lawmakers had been expressing their strong reservations over the non-seriousness of the government and put their demands to form standing committees so that proper work could be run. They also expressed their gloom that only two special committees had been formed but the onus of the assembly’s business had been put on them. The standing committees are necessary to be formed to run proper and smooth work of the assembly, they maintained.
Talking to The Express Tribune Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat said they were working on the formation of standing committees. When asked about the delay in the formation of standing committees, he said they were waiting for the conclusion of the dialogue initiated between the federal government and opposition over a few issues. “They are calling a meeting in a few days in which the opposition would be taken into confidence over the matter of formation of the standing committees,” he remarked.
He said it was unjust if credit was not given to the Punjab government, claiming they introduced six bills in the assembly have been referred to the special committees concerned which meant they did not let the business of the assembly halt.