No mercy: Opposition criticises govt over failure to answer queries
Speaker directs appointment of focal person to answer all questions.
The lack of proper response from relevant ministers infuriated opposition members. PHOTO: AFP
PESHAWAR:
The government faced an embarrassing situation in the assembly on Monday when ministers failed to come up with complete answers to lawmakers’ queries.
The lack of proper response from relevant ministers infuriated opposition members who asked Speaker Asad Qaiser to take notice of the treasury benches’ lax attitude. Minister for Information Shah Farman even asked opposition lawmakers to show leniency towards the ministers.
However, Farman’s plea had few takers, including the speaker who directed the government to appoint a focal person to answer members’ questions.
When the session started, an hour late, only a few treasury lawmakers were present in the house and the speaker had to wait for ministers to arrive before starting the session.
The first question was asked by Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) MPA from Swabi, Abdul Karim, who wanted the government to explain steps it had taken to establish a construction machinery training centre in Chota Lahor.
The government’s written reply stated that land had been acquired for the project in 2008-9, but construction has yet to begin.
However, Karim was not satisfied with the reply and asked for supporting documents. The speaker then asked the minister for technical education to explain the issue, which caused a brief pause among treasury benches as they struggled to figure out who is in charge of the department.
After a failure to determine who the relevant lawmaker was, Shah Farman tried to soothe opposition members, saying they know that the recent reshuffle in the government had led to some confusion. He asked the opposition benches to show some leniency to the new ministers.
However, Awami National Party parliamentary leader Sardar Babak Hussain and QWP’s Sikandar Sherpao were in no mood for mercy and said the government should make its ministers accountable.
Sherpao questioned as to how an incomplete answer was allowed to be presented before the house. Sacked Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf minister Shaukat Yousafzai jumped into the fray and attempted to explain the situation, prompting opposition lawmakers to question the capacity under which he was answering questions.
The speaker then directed government members to come prepared for every session, adding a point man should be appointed to answer all questions and all departments should coordinate with him. The issue of the Swabi land was later referred to the relevant standing committee.
Again during question hour, parliamentary secretary for environment Ishtiaq Urmur informed the house the documents he brought did not contain answers to questions of Mufti Syed Janan of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl. This elicited a bout of laughter from the opposition benches.
The speaker put the question on pending, after which Janan said they write applications to ministers to answer their queries and then find out the portfolio has been changed.
QWP’s Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli said secretaries of relevant departments were responsible to answer questions within 15 days.
Later, opposition lawmakers staged a walkout against the appointment of Jamaat-e-Islami workers as chairpersons of district Zakat committees across the province. However they ended their boycott after the government agreed to form a committee of five treasury members and as many parliamentary leaders of the opposition parties to discuss the issue.
The K-P Prohibition of Usurious Loans bill, 2014, Registration (amendment) bill 2014, Land Revenue Amendment bill and Motor Vehicles Amendment bill, 2014 was also introduced in the house.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 13th, 2014.
The government faced an embarrassing situation in the assembly on Monday when ministers failed to come up with complete answers to lawmakers’ queries.
The lack of proper response from relevant ministers infuriated opposition members who asked Speaker Asad Qaiser to take notice of the treasury benches’ lax attitude. Minister for Information Shah Farman even asked opposition lawmakers to show leniency towards the ministers.
However, Farman’s plea had few takers, including the speaker who directed the government to appoint a focal person to answer members’ questions.
When the session started, an hour late, only a few treasury lawmakers were present in the house and the speaker had to wait for ministers to arrive before starting the session.
The first question was asked by Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) MPA from Swabi, Abdul Karim, who wanted the government to explain steps it had taken to establish a construction machinery training centre in Chota Lahor.
The government’s written reply stated that land had been acquired for the project in 2008-9, but construction has yet to begin.
However, Karim was not satisfied with the reply and asked for supporting documents. The speaker then asked the minister for technical education to explain the issue, which caused a brief pause among treasury benches as they struggled to figure out who is in charge of the department.
After a failure to determine who the relevant lawmaker was, Shah Farman tried to soothe opposition members, saying they know that the recent reshuffle in the government had led to some confusion. He asked the opposition benches to show some leniency to the new ministers.
However, Awami National Party parliamentary leader Sardar Babak Hussain and QWP’s Sikandar Sherpao were in no mood for mercy and said the government should make its ministers accountable.
Sherpao questioned as to how an incomplete answer was allowed to be presented before the house. Sacked Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf minister Shaukat Yousafzai jumped into the fray and attempted to explain the situation, prompting opposition lawmakers to question the capacity under which he was answering questions.
The speaker then directed government members to come prepared for every session, adding a point man should be appointed to answer all questions and all departments should coordinate with him. The issue of the Swabi land was later referred to the relevant standing committee.
Again during question hour, parliamentary secretary for environment Ishtiaq Urmur informed the house the documents he brought did not contain answers to questions of Mufti Syed Janan of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl. This elicited a bout of laughter from the opposition benches.
The speaker put the question on pending, after which Janan said they write applications to ministers to answer their queries and then find out the portfolio has been changed.
QWP’s Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli said secretaries of relevant departments were responsible to answer questions within 15 days.
Later, opposition lawmakers staged a walkout against the appointment of Jamaat-e-Islami workers as chairpersons of district Zakat committees across the province. However they ended their boycott after the government agreed to form a committee of five treasury members and as many parliamentary leaders of the opposition parties to discuss the issue.
The K-P Prohibition of Usurious Loans bill, 2014, Registration (amendment) bill 2014, Land Revenue Amendment bill and Motor Vehicles Amendment bill, 2014 was also introduced in the house.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 13th, 2014.