PM avoids meeting Shehbaz without annoying court

AGP says convening a regular meeting takes time

ISLAMABAD:

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government on Friday found itself an interesting tact to meet an earlier court directive while also forestalling the chances of having to reach across the political aisle - without eliciting the court's annoyance.

In its order on January 13, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had directed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to request Prime Minister Imran Khan to hold a meeting by January 21 of the National Disaster Management Commission (NDMC), of which the premier is the chairperson and opposition leaders, among others, are members.

The order had come after the petitioner Hammad Abbasi, a local resident of Tehsil Murree, approached the court, saying the authorities failed to ensure timely recovery of the stranded citizens resulting in the death of over 20 people, including nine children.

The development gave rise to the hopes that the tragedy would deflate the years-old tension between PM Imran and the opposition leaders.

However, when the case was taken up on Friday, Attorney General for Pakistan Khalid Jawed Khan apprised IHC’s Justice Athar Minallah that the prime minister was ready to convene the meeting but keeping the urgency in view, the agenda of the meeting can be circulated with directions to the members to send in their comments at the earliest.

The AGP informed the court that the NDMA has already informed the premier about the court’s directive for convening the meeting within the stipulated time, saying the regular meeting can be called later on.

Shocking as it may seem, it had emerged in the last hearing that the NDMC meeting has not been held for the last three years. In response to the court’s query, it was revealed that the commission has held only five meetings between 2007 and 2018.

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The last meeting was held on 28-03-2018, the court had noted, while further stating in its order that no member of the commission, including the leader of the opposition in the Senate and National Assembly, had ever requested to call a meeting of one of the most important and high powered statutory bodies in the country established to ensure measures are taken in order to protect the lives and properties of the citizens.

While talking to The Express Tribune, the AGP explained that the court order can be fulfilled by circulating the agenda of the meeting among the members to comply with the court’s earlier direction, adding that convening a regular meeting takes time.

Besides, he said, action has already been taken by the relevant authorities in the matter. On January 19, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Bazdar had removed 15 officers from their posts in the light of the Murree tragedy investigation report and ordered disciplinary action against them.

On Friday, to the court’s question what steps were being taken to avoid such incidents in the future, Khan said that NDMA was functional and taking steps to ensure foolproof arrangements.

Subsequently, Justice Minallah while emphasising that the relevant authorities must ensure implementation of NDMA law to avoid such tragedies said that they will be held responsible in case of any such accident in the future. He then disposed of the petition.