MPAs revive power to question bureaucrats over privilege

The Punjab Assembly, in a session attended by opposition members on Tuesday, for the fourth time made the bureaucracy answerable to the committee dealing with breach of the privilege of the lawmakers.

Speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi presided over the assembly session during which the bureaucrats were made answerable through legislation.

The assembly also restored the judicial powers that earlier had been granted to the speaker through unanimous legislation by the then ruling PTI and opposition PML-N.

‘The Provincial Assembly of the Punjab Privilege (amendment) Bill 2021’ was passed unanimously first time July last year and sent to the then governor for his signatures but the bureaucracy reportedly reacted adversely. The former governor raised some objections and sent the bill back to the assembly with a recommendation to make it more viable.

The lawmakers from the then treasury and opposition sides strongly resisted the hindrane and on August 3 once again unanimously passed he law, sending a strong message that the bureaucracy is answerable to the lawmakers.

After the PML-N came into power, it faced a constitutional crisis related to the legislature on June 24, following which it not only suspended the judicial powers of the speaker but also the assembly secretary’s powers of issuing gazette notification of summoning the house.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 20^th, 2022.