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Thursday March 28, 2024

PM lectures ministers, reprimands secretaries for ignoring parliament

By Ansar Abbasi
March 16, 2018

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has lectured his cabinet ministers and reprimanded federal secretaries for not taking the parliamentary proceedings seriously, and has assigned the cabinet secretary to supervise the mechanism for prompt response to parliament’s queries and business.

Through a letter issued by the Prime Minister’s Office on March 14, and addressed to all the federal secretaries, the PM directed that from now on, the federal secretary concerned shall be personally responsible for disposal of parliamentary business within the prescribed time with prior approval of the minister in-charge, as detailed in Rules of Business, 1973.

“In no case, response to the parliamentary business shall either be incomplete or delayed for want of lack of attention and details,” he warned and asked that the cabinet secretary will exercise the supervisory role and in case of any lapse responsibility will be fixed and brought to the notice of the PM for orders.

To ensure that the things go smooth and to the satisfaction of parliament, the cabinet secretary has also been told to remain in touch with the office of both National Assembly Speaker and Senate chairman and also appoint a Liaison Officer of the Cabinet Division, not below the level of Joint Secretary, for a continuous feedback.

This letter has been issued following the recent unprecedented boycott of assembly proceedings by the National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq after the ministers as well as their secretaries are found least interested to respond to the House’s business and queries.

Issued with the signatures of Fawaz Hasan Fawad, secretary to the PM, the following is the operative part of the letter:

“1. It has been brought to the notice of the Prime Minister by the Speaker, National Assembly that Parliamentary business relating to various Ministries/Divisions and attached Departments remains un-responded in a large number of cases. The Speaker has also cited specific instances where a significant number of Starred/Un-starred questions and Calling Attention Notices remained un-answered by Ministries and Divisions. The Prime Minister has observed that the above situation not only indicates clear inefficiency on part of the relevant administrative Secretaries but also reflects negatively on the relevant Ministers and Ministers of State.

2. The Prime Minister has further observed that conduct of official business of the Parliament has been provided a special place under Government of Pakistan, Rules of Business, 1973 to underline its importance for a democratic process: While Part-F-Rules 31 to 47 deal with the conduct of relations with Parliament, Rule 45 specifically requires the concerned Division to deal with the questions asked by the Members of the upper and lower Houses.

Additionally, Rule 47 allows both the Houses of the Parliament to form Committees for advising the Division on disposal of their work. The Prime Minister feels that some of the administrative Secretaries have failed both their Ministers as well as the Government at large in performance of one of their core functions provided in the Rules of Business, 1973.

3. Accordingly, the Prime Minister has desired that henceforth the concerned Federal Secretary shall be personally responsible for disposal of Parliamentary business within the prescribed time with prior approval of the Minister Incharge, as detailed in Rules of Business, 1973. In no case response to the Parliamentary business shall either be incomplete or delayed for want of lack of attention and details,

4. The Prime Minister has also desired that Cabinet Secretary shall exercise the supervisory role in this regard and ensure that in case of any lapse, in future, responsibility is immediately fixed and brought to the notice of the Prime Minister for his orders. For this purpose, the Cabinet Secretary shall remain in touch with the office of both Speaker, National Assembly and Chairman, Senate and also appoint a Liaison Officer of the Cabinet Division, not below the level of Joint Secretary, for a continuous feedback.”