Controversy: Senate panel likely to summon FO official

Chairman says matter will be referred to standing committee.

ISLAMABAD:

A key Senate panel is likely to seek an explanation from the foreign office over its spokesperson’s denunciation of parliamentarians for their lack of knowledge on foreign policy matters.

Senate Chairman Nayyar Hussain Bukhari announced that he would refer this matter to the standing committee on privileges. Opposition members castigated the foreign office over a statement attributed to spokesperson Tasnim Aslam.

The committee on privileges can summon any person and seek explanation over any issue in which the panel believes that privilege of the house or any member of the upper house is breached by someone. The privileges committee is likely to meet next week and summon the spokesperson.

While speaking on the motion Pakistan Peoples Party leader Raza Rabbani said the FO spokesperson has raised questions over the intelligence level and mental health of lawmakers. He regretted that the mention of an apparent shift in the Syria policy by some legislators was ridiculed and vehemently denied.

He also contested the claim that the people debating the issue had no understanding of how foreign policy is formulated and countries interact with each other. Rabbani said the privilege of each member of the Senate had been breached by the outburst and action must consequently be taken.

Leader of the House in the Senate Raja Muhammad Zafarul Haq was of the view that an attention notice should have been brought to raise the issue and observed that the criticism was not parliament-specific but purely general.

The Senate chairman, however, was unconvinced with the position taken by him and asked him to carefully read the words uttered by FO spokesperson.

Mushahid Hussain of PML-Q also noted that the remarks were unacceptable. He pointed out that the criticism over the policy shift had started from the Senate and the remarks were therefore directed against its members.

Opposition’s walkout

Irked by what it called ‘non-serious attitude’ and ‘inefficient’ ministers of Nawaz Sharif’s cabinet, opposition parties once again staged walkout from the Senate, prompting the chair to issue directives to the government to take parliament seriously.

The prime minister has never attended any session since he took office last year. Similarly, ministers either remain absent or they come unprepared to answer queries of the members.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 1^st, 2014.