Parliamentary Committee: Panel meeting on violence ends abruptly
Rehman Malik abruptly left the meeting due to other “pressing” engagements.
ISLAMABAD:
A parliamentary committee constituted to suggest a political solution to the violence in Karachi and Balochistan had hardly made any progress on Wednesday when Interior Minister Rehman Malik abruptly left the meeting due to other “pressing” engagements.
The proceedings were then deferred until Thursday. “We could not get a presentation on crime statistics because the minister said he had some other engagements. We will continue proceedings on Thursday and hope Malik will turn up,” said a member.
Rehman Malik, according to an official of his ministry, will give the committee data on crime in Quetta over the past 12 years.
“Once we are done with Balochistan, the panel will seek crime statistics about Karachi,” said MNA Zahid Hamid, a representative of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in the committee.
The committee was formed last month in pursuance of a parliamentary resolution in August to investigate reasons for violence in Karachi and Quetta.
A parliamentary committee constituted to suggest a political solution to the violence in Karachi and Balochistan had hardly made any progress on Wednesday when Interior Minister Rehman Malik abruptly left the meeting due to other “pressing” engagements.
The proceedings were then deferred until Thursday. “We could not get a presentation on crime statistics because the minister said he had some other engagements. We will continue proceedings on Thursday and hope Malik will turn up,” said a member.
Rehman Malik, according to an official of his ministry, will give the committee data on crime in Quetta over the past 12 years.
“Once we are done with Balochistan, the panel will seek crime statistics about Karachi,” said MNA Zahid Hamid, a representative of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in the committee.
The committee was formed last month in pursuance of a parliamentary resolution in August to investigate reasons for violence in Karachi and Quetta.
It was supposed to give a report to the National Assembly within two months - a deadline that has already been missed.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 6th, 2011.