Senate chairman questions timing of APC on CPEC

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Chairman, Mian Raza Rabbani, on Friday ‘objected’ to the prime minister’s all parties conference (APC) on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), saying there was no reason for this event when the two chambers of parliament were in session simultaneously.

He gave this observation when Information and Broadcasting Minister Senator Pervaiz Rashid sought deferment of questions pertaining to his ministry during the Question-Hour, as he wanted to attend the APC on CPEC. While deferring his ministry-related questions, Rabbani asked the minister to convey this to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that when the Senate and the National Assembly were in session simultaneously, was there any justification in holding out assurances and allaying reservations of political parties at an APC?

He emphasised the prime minister should have presented his point of view and given an assurance on the CPEC on the floor of the Senate as well as the National Assembly. “This would have enhanced the prestige and importance of parliament and strengthened it too,” he noted.

“May be at the APC, the prime minister wanted to address the reservations of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak. It is correct that he should also talk on the CPEC in the House as well,” the minister maintained.

On this, the Senate chairman retorted if Pervaiz Khattak had certain reservations, there was a constitutional way of dealing with it by convening a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CII). He said the council should have been convened to take into confidence the four chief ministers.

Later, several legislators were surprised when the House was informed by the PPP Senator Zaheeruddin Babar that despite the prime minister’s clear directions given several weeks back, hundreds of female teachers at the government academic institutions in Islamabad were neither regularised nor their salaries were increased and paid to them. He said scores of female teachers were peacefully protesting outside the Parliament House, as an order by the prime minister had not been complied with. He recalled that these teachers had managed to meet the prime minister when he visited Bhara Kahu recently. He pointed out the prime minister called their salaries i.e. Rs8,000-9,000 insufficient when told about their salaries and gave directions to a local minister of state on this count, but strangely, no progress was made so far.

The Senate chairman said a public petition filed with the Senate Secretariat was also being looked into while the matter related to the Capital Development and Administration Division. State Minister Sheikh Aftab Ahmad assured the House that he would convey this to the state minister concerned. He also agreed the directions given by the prime minister should be followed.

Rabbani directed the government to apprise the Senate of the latest status of the fate of teachers on Monday. The Senate chairman said he would give a ruling on the issue of provincial job quota in the next Senate session, if the government despite its commitment, failed to get the related bill passed through the NA standing committee concerned.

He said this when the matter was raised by independent Senator Mohsin Leghari, who said that there was a quota cover system, which lapsed in 2013 and afterwards, no headway was made to come up with any formula on this count.

Rabbani directed PPP Senator Taj Haider to raise the issue of Punjab government’s failure to nominate its member for the NFC, impeding its meeting since long, when the finance minister would be making a statement on the state of national economy next week in the House. Taj Haider alleged that the NFC remained suspended just because of Punjab’s inability to name its member, saying a thing that could be done in less than 15 minutes was not being materialised.

Rabbani called for minister for petroleum and natural resources to brief the House on Tuesday on the status of induction of clerks, as youth belonging to Balochistan had appeared in tests and given interviews five months back, but they still await the outcome of the process. The issue was raised by the PML-Q Senator Kamil Ali Agha, who said merit must be upheld, otherwise the people of Balochistan would feel further deprived.