Speaker acts to maintain decorum in K-P Assembly

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, while taking notice of the continued absence of relevant officials from proceedings, on Tuesday ordered the monitoring of attendance of all bureaucrats assigned to the assembly.

He warned that departments whose secretaries are absent from assembly sessions could face delays in the approval of their budgets.

During the assembly's budget session, the speaker intervened after noticing several lawmakers engaged in side conversations while a member was addressing the House. Urging members to maintain order, he said every lawmaker has the right to speak and be heard.

"Please remain quiet so that the member can be heard. When a lawmaker raises issues concerning the public, it is the responsibility of the House to pay attention," he said.

He also voiced concern over what he described as the bureaucracy's poor attendance and apparent lack of interest in assembly proceedings. He noted that departmental officers and secretaries are summoned to the House to respond to lawmakers' queries, but relevant officials are frequently absent from the sessions.