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Tuesday March 19, 2024

Punjab Assembly without standing committees

By Faizan Bangash
November 20, 2018

LAHORE: In violation of Punjab Assembly Rules of Procedures, the Punjab government has failed to hold elections of PA standing committees which under the law have to take place within 90 days since the election of leader of the house.

Within first three months, two major violations of Punjab Assembly Rules of Procedures in the assembly, whose majority party is Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), have come to surface that include violation of Rules of Procedure 33 (A) and 150 (3).

Rules of Procedures number 150, clause 3 of Punjab Assembly states: “The committees shall be elected by the assembly within 90 days after the election of the Leader of the House following the general election.”

Sardar Usman Buzdar was elected as the Leader of the House on August 19 this year and till November 20 (today), a period of over 90 days have lapsed but the Punjab government couldn’t hold the polls of the standing committees.

This is noteworthy standing committees have pivotal role in the process of legislation as on this forum, any bill laid in the House is thoroughly debated, discussed and approved. According to the rules, a committee shall examine a bill or other matter referred to it by the assembly and shall submit its report to the assembly with such recommendations, including suggestion for legislation, if any, as it ‘may deem necessary.’

The law says that each standing committee shall consist of 10 members to be elected by the assembly whereas the minister and the parliamentary secretary concerned shall be ex-officio members of the committee. It further states that the members of all the committees shall be elected, as far as possible, in accordance with the agreement of the leader of the house and the leader of the opposition. In case there is no agreement, the members of each committee shall be elected by the assembly from amongst its members according to the principle of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote in accordance with the procedure laid down in the fifth schedule.

Moreover, when contacted, some of the opposition members also stated that the PTI government, despite its tall claims of following rules, procedures and merit in every department has also been able to follow the rules of procedures in Punjab Assembly, a forum that represents the entire province.

They said that in the violation of Rules of Procedures 33 (A) of PA, the Punjab government hasn’t announced the annual calendar. According to the Rules of Procedures PA after the commencement of each parliamentary year, the government shall provide a calendar for sessions of the assembly to the speaker.

It further states that the ‘Secretary shall cause the calendar to be circulated amongst the members and ‘the assembly shall be summoned on the dates given in the calendar but the governor may summon the assembly on a date other than that mentioned in the calendar.

This is noteworthy that the annual calendar of the Assembly serves as a guide or a roadmap for the House members, particularly the elected legislators who have to set their upcoming schedule while keeping view the dates, months of the assembly sessions. In case the government doesn’t announce the annual calendar and comes up with a sudden date of the assembly session, it disturbs the scheduled, routine work of MPAs in their respective constituencies and causes problem for legislators, especially those who have to reach Lahore from far-flung districts of southern Punjab like Layyah, Rajanpur, Muzaffargarh, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rahim Yar Khan and others.

When contacted, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Muhammad Basharat Raja said in the upcoming sessions, the process of Standing Committees elections would be completed. Over the annual calendar, he stated that it had been completed and sent to the office of Punjab Assembly Speaker.