A key parliamentary committee voiced strong disapproval on Wednesday over the non-attendance of senior government officials at its proceedings, warning that such lapses were unacceptable and led to the deferral of significant privilege matters.
The Standing Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges, chaired by MNA Muhammad Afzal, was forced to postpone a Question of Privilege raised by Dr. Darshan, MNA, against the Member (Administration) of the Capital Development Authority (CDA). The deferment was a direct result of the concerned official’s failure to appear before the panel.
In a separate agenda item, the committee addressed a privilege motion from MNA Wasim Qadir concerning the Executive Director of the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC). The Executive Director presented an unconditional apology for not answering the legislator’s telephone call and gave assurances that such an incident would not be repeated. The committee opted to revisit this issue in its subsequent session.
The session, which marked the 14th meeting of the body, was held at Parliament House and saw participation from numerous MNAs including Azhar Qayyum Nahra, Ch. Muhammad Shahbaz Babar, Waseem Qadir, and Pir Syed Fazal Ali Shah Jillani. Senior representatives from the Ministries of Parliamentary Affairs, Establishment Division, and other relevant departments were also in attendance.