Absence of officials at meeting infuriates senators

Say bureaucrats seem to ignore the issues and institutions.

ISLAMABAD:

Lawmakers of the upper house on Monday showed utter displeasure at absence of government functionaries who failed to turn up at a meeting of Senate Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Resources.

The meeting was called to brief the senators on Saindak mining project in Balochistan.

The committee was to be apprised of some details of mining project such as year-wise shipments from the project made by a Chinese company and freight charges from the mining site to Karachi port where the materials is sent to be refined.

The committee took serious notice of the absence of Finance Secretary Dr Waqar Masood, Balochistan Chief Secretary Babar Yaqoob Fatah Mohammad and Saindak Copper-Gold Project managing director who did not bother to appear at the meeting despite prior notices.



“We are present in the meeting in spite of our social engagements during Eid and other matters but the government officers do not care two hoots to ensure their presence in meeting on important national issues,” said Committee Chairman Senator Mohammad Yousuf.

The chairman warned the officials that the committee would not tolerate such irresponsible attitude and would send a warrant to summon them if they repeated this behaviour. “It seems that you do not know how costly this meeting was, as we all have travelled to come here from different parts of the country,” he admonished.

Senator Abdul Nabi Bangash lambasted the finance secretary, stressing that he continually ignored committee meetings and never turned up when called.

“I will not sit in this meeting with these senior bureaucrats absent, who are answerable to the parliament,” he said.

He further said that the bureaucrats should not take it lightly. “This is the entire parliament being represented here and they are accountable to it,” he said.

The committee declared the report submitted on behalf of the Saindak Copper Gold Project as incomplete and asked the officials to submit a detailed report in the next meeting scheduled for October 24.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 22^nd, 2013.