NA committees

Speaker contacts govt, opposition to end stalemate

By Asim Yasin

ISLAMABAD: National Assembly (NA) Speaker Asad Qaisar made fresh contacts with the government and opposition for formation of NA standing committees and hoped that this issue would be settled before the upcoming assembly session.

“The matter of the chairmanship of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) should resolved by the government and opposition and I had talked both of them on this issue also and is hopeful that this issue may also be resolved,” he said while talking to newsmen at the Parliament House on Tuesday after his meeting with Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, who called on him on Tuesday.

In a joint press talk with the newsmen along with Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, NA speaker said being the custodian of the House, he has to run the proceedings of the House as per rules and procedures. “The foremost priority of the National Assembly is to legislate in the people’s interest,” he said.

He said the government and opposition should come on same page for providing relief to the people.

He said its opposition right to protest on the issues. “Being a custodian of the National Assembly, he will give the opportunities to government and opposition according to their mandate given to them by the people of Pakistan,” he said.

In reply to a question, Asad Qaiser said that he has planned to convene the Speaker’s conference soon to enhance the cooperation between the National Assembly and provincial assemblies so that all the speakers should come up with the proposals for the betterment of the country. “The provinces will also be consulted on the issues of the legislation,” he said.

To another question, he said that he wanted a legislation to abolish interest and legislation for access to information bill also be implemented in all the provinces. He said he wanted to consult and get benefit from the experience of Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi.

While talking to newsmen, Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi said that the PML-N still believes that it was in the government. “If the PML-N deals the issue with assuming itself in the government, the matters will be complicated,” he said.

He said the government is showing big hearts towards the opposition for the smooth sailing of the affairs. “But if the opposition does not participate in the legislation for the people’s interest, only the people will suffer,” he said and warned if the there is no legislation in the people’s interest, the opposition will be responsible for it.

Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi said Prime Minister Imran Khan and PTI have a clear intentions for the betterment of the country. “It is just beginning and the situation will improve in the coming days,” he said.

To a question, he said there was a need for joint strategy to counter protest in the assemblies.

The Punjab Assembly speaker said the Punjab sustained a loss of over Rs200 billion due to stoppage of the development projects of his government. “What Shahbaz Sharif got benefit by stopping the project of Cardiology Hospital,“ he questioned.

He said the work on the development projects which were initiated during his tenure as a chief minister has been restarted.

Earlier, Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi called on National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser at Parliament House on Monday.