Cabinet gives powers of forming PQA board to premier

PM Imran will also have some control over board proceedings

ISLAMABAD: The cabinet has given approval to delegating powers of constituting the board of directors of Port Qasim Authority (PQA) as well as control over board proceedings to the prime minister and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs.

Earlier, these powers were vested in the cabinet.

Sources told The Express Tribune that the Cabinet Committee on Legislative Cases (CCLC) had approved amendments to Sections 6, 7 and 70 of the Port Qasim Authority Act 1973 for delegating some powers to the prime minister and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs. The recommendations of the committee were then sent to the cabinet for ratification.

The cabinet, in its recent meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan, considered the CCLC recommendations. During discussion, according to sources, some cabinet members argued that proposed amendments to Sections 6, 7 and 70 of the Port Qasim Authority Act 1973 should not be approved and powers under these clauses should rest with the cabinet.

The Ministry of Maritime Affairs pointed out that in a large number of statutes, all sorts of powers, including those for mundane matters, were granted to the federal government. Consequently, all such matters were brought before the cabinet for approval, resulting in waste of time and resources.

The cabinet, therefore, gave directives that powers for various functions should be specified under relevant statutes. The proposed changes to the Port Qasim Authority Act were, therefore, meant to delegate powers for certain matters to the prime minister and the Maritime Affairs Division.

Section 70 of the Act deals with the federal government’s control over acts and proceedings of the PQA board. “All acts and proceedings of the board shall be subject to the control of the federal government and the federal government may suspend or modify any such acts or proceedings,” it says.

Section 6 deals with the constitution of the board. According to it, “the board shall consist of not less than three and not more than seven members, including the chairman, to be appointed by the federal government. The chairman and other members shall, unless the federal government otherwise [determines], hold office for a period of [three] years.

“Any person ceasing to be the chairman or a member of the board by reason of expiry of the term of his office shall be eligible for reappointment for another term of five years or for such shorter term as the federal government may decide.

“No act or proceedings of the board shall be invalid merely on the ground of the existence of any vacancy in or any defect in the constitution of the board. The chairman and any member may by writing under his hand, addressed to the federal government, resign his office: Provided that his resignation shall not take effect until accepted by the federal government.”

Section 7 deals with remuneration and conditions of service. It says “the chairman and each member shall receive such salary and allowances and shall be subject to such condition of service as may be determined by the federal government.”

The cabinet means the federal government and now the cabinet has ratified CCLC recommendations for granting some powers to the prime minister and the ministry concerned.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 27^th, 2019.

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