Ministers’ absence angers govt, opp senators

ISLAMABAD: The government Friday came under scathing criticism from the opposition in the Senate over absent ministers, and in a rare move, former Senate chairman Mian Raza Rabbani also declined to deliver his speech on the budget over the issue.

The fuming Leader of the Opposition Dr. Shahzad Waseem raised the issue in the House and urged the chair to make a petition for the recovery of ministers. “There are 50 ministers in the cabinet and the front row is presenting a shameful scene,” he regretted.

Rabbani rose to say that they had witnessed the same situation in the previous government but insisted that two wrongs don’t make one right, lamenting the parliament had been made redundant for the last three to four years. His remarks evoked desk-thumping from the opposition members. “It was expected that the government of the day would bring about significant changes in the prevailing circumstances and strengthen national institutions, particularly the legislature,” he maintained.

The PPP lawmaker regretted that there was a huge cabinet but none of its members was available in the House, particularly at a time when the budget was being discussed in difficult conditions. He added the budget had been presented at a crucial time when Pakistan was at crossroads. “The finance minister or state minister of finance should have been available at least throughout the session in the House but we are seeing only the minister of state for law sitting here,” he noted and urged Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani to assert himself and take action as per the rules of the House on the matter to ensure that ministers were present.

He recalled that during his tenure as Senate chairman, one of ministers had been suspended for 10 days. “To restore the dignity of the parliament, I request you to exercise your influence over the government and ask ministers to be present in the House,” he added.

Earlier, the leader of the opposition pointed out the absence of ministers from the House and lamented that not even a single minister was around. He noted that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif headed a cabinet of 50 ministers but only one minister of state was usually present in the House to answer queries of the lawmakers. “This is a shameful scene. There was nothing more important than the budget and due to the reason, all members are present in the House but the seriousness of the government can be gauged from the fact that all ministers are absent. I request the chair to check if ministers are on foreign tours,” he maintained. He said the common people were bearing the brunt of inflation but the government was not interested in parliamentary proceedings.

To this, Sanjrani said that ministers would soon be in the House while senior officials of ministries were already present to take notes. PPP Senator Saleem Mandviwalla informed the House that Finance Minister Miftah Ismail was busy interacting with International Monetary Fund (IMF) officials through video link.

PPP Senator ex-PM Yusuf Raza Gillani said in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s government, Minister of State Ali Muhammad Khan used to run a “one man show” by answering questions asked by members pertaining to various ministries. He added that the Finance Ministry officials present in the galleries were noting down all proposals being made and concerns raised by the members.

Meanwhile, Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) senators walked out in protest against the alleged theft of Balochistan’s water. Senator Danesh Kumar, who hails from Balochistan, raised the issue of water shortages in the province and claimed the province was getting 65pc less water against its share because the rest was being stolen.

Sanjrani asked the Minister of State for Law and Justice Shahadat Awan to get a report from the IRSA about the water issue and submit it to the House. Some senators agitated over the raging fires in different hilly districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and called for an inquiry. The House will now resume on Monday afternoon.