NA panel defers amendment in PM question hour rule

Standing Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges settles question of privilege motions

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly's Standing Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges on Monday once again deferred amendment in the rules of the house to declare first Wednesday in each session as the Prime Minister's Question Hour.

The amendment moved by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan in Rule 69 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007 was deferred as the minister was not present in the meeting.

It was the third meeting of the committee held at the Parliament House and chaired by Rana Muhammad Qasim Noon. The amendment recommended that on such question hours, the premier would answer questions related to overall substantive policy or performance of the government.

The committee also took up the question of privilege of MNA Faheem Khan. The question of privilege was regarding alleged misbehaviour of an SHO Maqsood Raza and Defence Police Station (Karachi) Investigation Officer Imdad Khawaja with the member.

The matter was referred to the committee on January 30, 2019 and was kept pending since.

On directives of the committee, three officers including ASI Saeed, Khawaja and Raza were suspended and were issued show cause notices. A report regarding it was also submitted in the meeting.

Another question of privilege was settled after action by the Sindh Police.

The question of privilege was regarding implicating MNA Abid Raza in a ‘false politically motivated’ case in Kakarali Police Station, Gujrat. A fabricated FIR was registered against him by SP Headquarters Mian Tahir Bashir and DSP Mian Muhammad Arshad, who along with police force forcibly occupy his property.

The matter was referred to the committee on January 30. The committee had sought its report but due to non-presence of the mover, the committee deferred the matter till the next meeting.

The last agenda item of the committee was of the question of privilege of MNA Ali Nawaz Shah.

It said secretaries of Revenue, Local Government, Education, Health and Agriculture departments did not pick up phone of the MNA. It also said Mirpurkhas Deputy Commissioner Mehdi Shah and SP Abid Baloch harassed him and his voters.

The committee discussed the matter and deferred it till its next meeting. It directed chief secretary and Sindh inspector general of police to appear in person in the next meeting.

MNAs Ghulam Bibi, Nawab Sher, Khurram Shahzad, Zulfiqar Ali Khan, Murtaza Iqbal, Mian Shafiq, Amjad Farooq Khan, Ali Nawaz Shah, Muhammad Sajjad, Armghan Subhani, Junaid Anwar, Imran Ahmad Shah, Fazal Ali Shah Jillani, Ghulam Mustafa Shah, Shagufta Jumani and Ali Wazir attended the meeting.

WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM APP.