ISLAMABAD, Sept 21: The government on Wednesday laid three ordinances before the Senate, including the controversial Federal Public Service Commission Amendment Ordinance 2005, amid opposition’s protest.
People’s Party Parliamentarians Senator Farhatullah Babar staged a token walkout from the house to protest over not including his resolution of disapproval on the FPSC ordinance on the agenda of the day.
The other two ordinances, laid before the upper house by Minister of State for Law Shahid Akram Bhinder, were the National Database and Registration Authority (Amendment) Ordinance 2005 and the Public Investments (Financial Safeguards) Amendment Ordinance 2005.
Senator Mushahid Hussain presented the interim report of the Sub-Committee of the Parliamentary Committee on Balochistan. He said the report would be part of the report of the main committee.
A treasury senator from Balochistan, Muhim Khan Baloch, while speaking on a point of order, said that he had some ‘reservations’ over the report.
The opposition members, who had been boycotting Senate sessions for a week to protest over nomination of the presiding officer in the absence of the chairman and the deputy chairman, ended their boycott when Chairman Muhammedmian Soomro came to chair the proceedings.
Taking the floor, Senator Babar alleged that the FPSC ordinance had been promulgated with a malafide intention as it was issued on August 27 though the National Assembly was scheduled to meet on August 29.
He said the FPSC ordinance had reduced the five-year tenure of the present chairman and members to three years. He claimed that the action was taken because the FPSC had taken some bold decisions which were not liked by the government.
He recalled that President Musharraf had extended the three-year term of the FPSC members and chairman in January 2,000.
Opposition Leader Raza Rabbani said it seemed that the FPSC ordinance had a link to a report that the World Bank had told the government that 135 bureaucrats, who had attended its training programme, could be transferred and posted only with the WB’s consultations.
He also ridiculed the stance of the Senate secretariat that the ‘resolution of disapproval’ had been sent to the law ministry for comments and asked the chairman to include the resolution in Friday’s agenda.
Responding to the points raised by the opposition members, the minister said the ordinance had been challenged in the Lahore High Court and the matter was, therefore, subjudice.
Prof Khurshid Ahmed of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal rejected the argument and said the parliament had the sovereign right to do legislation and the discussion on an ordinance in the Senate could not be declared subjudice.
Meanwhile, the treasury and opposition members spent most of their time in making speeches on different issues on points of order.
Mr Rabbani criticized the government for its apathy towards the victims of contaminated water in Karachi.
