At long last: After a long wait, govt names heads of standing committees
Keeps chairmanship of at least 22 of 37 bodies, yet to reveal members’ names.
Keeps chairmanship of at least 22 of 37 bodies, yet to reveal members’ names. PHOTO: FILE
PESHAWAR:
After a little over seven months, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly Secretariat notified 37 standing committees of the house on Monday. Details available with The Express Tribune reveal that at least 22 committees will be headed by members of the ruling coalition, while the rest have been given to the opposition.
The government, however, has only announced the names of chairpersons of the committees, keeping the names of their members secret for now.
The constitution of standing committees was a bone of contention between the opposition and treasury benches and had been in limbo since assembly members took oath after the general elections last year.
Last week, K-P Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser had announced the formation of the committees but only revealed details of the house committee on finance.
The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has received the chairmanship of at least 18 committees, while coalition partners Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Awami Jamhoori Ittehad Pakistan (AJIP) get to lead two committees each. Moreover, the chairmanship of another committee has been given to an independent lawmaker from Mardan who supports the ruling coalition.
The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) has been granted six committees, while the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) gets to head five and the Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) two committees.
Qaiser will be the chairman of the public accounts committee and the committee on law reforms and control on subordinate legislation while K-P Assembly Deputy Speaker Imtiaz Shahid will chair the committee on procedure, conduct of business rules, privileges and implementation of government promises and the committee on house and library.
JUI-F parliamentary leader Maulana Lutfur Rehman will head the house committee on local government, elections and rural development and PML-N’s Wajihuz Zaman gets to oversee the environment department.
Moreover, ANP’s Mian Jaffer Shah will head the committee on the labour department, JI’s Malik Behram Khan the finance department and QWP’s Anisa Zeb Tahirkhili the administration department.
The government and opposition had been at loggerheads over the formation of committees soon after its inaugural session in May, 2013. The delay in forming the committees had affected the business of the house, which routinely refers matters to concerned committees for their input.
According to opposition members, the government was faced with a legal lacuna over the issue after it had announced a force of parliamentary secretaries – 32 in all – to reportedly quell resentment within the ruling party’s ranks and award favours.
The appointment of a brigade of ministers, advisers, special assistants and parliamentary secretaries then reportedly left the government with few lawmakers to head standing committees.
Then in November, the government relieved 22 lawmakers as parliamentary secretaries in order to spare them for taking on the responsibilities of standing committees. According to the rules of the house, a person holding the office of a parliamentary secretary cannot legally be appointed to the standing committees of the assembly. Thus, the move cleared the way for the formation of the standing committees and gave the government the assurance of heading a majority of them.
Standing committees constitute an integral part of the legislative process and the number of committees equals the number of government departments. There were about 36 standing committees in the previous assembly. The house is supposed to elect standing committees for its entire tenure during its first session after the general elections.
The committees’ main function is to examine in detail bills or any other matters referred to it by the speaker or the assembly. It is then required to submit a report with its recommendations within a specified period.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 21st, 2014.
After a little over seven months, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly Secretariat notified 37 standing committees of the house on Monday. Details available with The Express Tribune reveal that at least 22 committees will be headed by members of the ruling coalition, while the rest have been given to the opposition.
The government, however, has only announced the names of chairpersons of the committees, keeping the names of their members secret for now.
The constitution of standing committees was a bone of contention between the opposition and treasury benches and had been in limbo since assembly members took oath after the general elections last year.
Last week, K-P Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser had announced the formation of the committees but only revealed details of the house committee on finance.
The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has received the chairmanship of at least 18 committees, while coalition partners Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Awami Jamhoori Ittehad Pakistan (AJIP) get to lead two committees each. Moreover, the chairmanship of another committee has been given to an independent lawmaker from Mardan who supports the ruling coalition.
The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) has been granted six committees, while the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) gets to head five and the Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) two committees.
Qaiser will be the chairman of the public accounts committee and the committee on law reforms and control on subordinate legislation while K-P Assembly Deputy Speaker Imtiaz Shahid will chair the committee on procedure, conduct of business rules, privileges and implementation of government promises and the committee on house and library.
JUI-F parliamentary leader Maulana Lutfur Rehman will head the house committee on local government, elections and rural development and PML-N’s Wajihuz Zaman gets to oversee the environment department.
Moreover, ANP’s Mian Jaffer Shah will head the committee on the labour department, JI’s Malik Behram Khan the finance department and QWP’s Anisa Zeb Tahirkhili the administration department.
The government and opposition had been at loggerheads over the formation of committees soon after its inaugural session in May, 2013. The delay in forming the committees had affected the business of the house, which routinely refers matters to concerned committees for their input.
According to opposition members, the government was faced with a legal lacuna over the issue after it had announced a force of parliamentary secretaries – 32 in all – to reportedly quell resentment within the ruling party’s ranks and award favours.
The appointment of a brigade of ministers, advisers, special assistants and parliamentary secretaries then reportedly left the government with few lawmakers to head standing committees.
Then in November, the government relieved 22 lawmakers as parliamentary secretaries in order to spare them for taking on the responsibilities of standing committees. According to the rules of the house, a person holding the office of a parliamentary secretary cannot legally be appointed to the standing committees of the assembly. Thus, the move cleared the way for the formation of the standing committees and gave the government the assurance of heading a majority of them.
Standing committees constitute an integral part of the legislative process and the number of committees equals the number of government departments. There were about 36 standing committees in the previous assembly. The house is supposed to elect standing committees for its entire tenure during its first session after the general elections.
The committees’ main function is to examine in detail bills or any other matters referred to it by the speaker or the assembly. It is then required to submit a report with its recommendations within a specified period.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 21st, 2014.