Law minister’s absence from meeting infuriates senators

Senate panel chairman reprimands law secretary over his misguiding statement

ISLAMABAD: Absence of Minister for Law Farogh Naseem from a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice infuriated the senators as they adjourned the sitting without accepting any bills.

“I will not accept any of your bills. This is no way to behave. Is this government serious? People say afterwards that work is not being done,” Senate committee Chairman Senator Javed Abbasi said while reprimanding the law secretary as his earlier statement had the senators believe that the minister would be attending the meeting.

The law secretary had informed the committee chairman that the law minister would arrive any minute. However, the day passed and the minister was a no-show.

“If ministers keep behaving in this manner, we must end the committee and lock down parliament,” said the chairman.

Senator Raza Rabbani said, “Today, the weakest institution is parliament. Neither law-making takes place nor are the issues of the people highlighted.”

Rabbani blamed the government for trying to form an elite group within parliament. “This group comprises ministers and parliamentary leaders,” said Rabbani.

He urged for ending the trend of bypassing assembly sessions. “If anything happens to parliament, the federal government will not be able to survive,” he added.

Rabbani said that a few days back, the law minister had issued a statement that parliament does not cooperate. “He [law minister] should tell that on which occasion we didn’t cooperate?

“The law minister doesn’t come to the committee’s meetings. Adjourn today’s meeting due to his absence