May 17, 2006	Wednesday	Rabi-us-Sani 18, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, May 16: Opposition senators on Tuesday lodged a strong protest over the continued absence of ministers from parliament’s proceedings and asked Chairman Mohammadmian Soomro to issue strictures to ensure presence of the cabinet members in the sittings of the house.

The issue was raised by former opposition leader Mian Raza Rabbani of the People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) when he drew the attention of the Senate chairman towards the fact that only two ministers were present in the house during the question hour.

Mr Rabbani said there were questions related to the ministries of privatisation, commerce and finance, but none of the ministers was present in the house. He said lack of interest by the ministers and the treasury members could be judged by the empty benches.

When Mr Rabbani was speaking on the point of order, there were only three senators from the government side and 15 opposition senators were present in the house, whereas the presence of 25 members was a must to maintain the quorum.

“I will request you to issue strictures as ministers are not above the law and they should be present in the house,” Mr Rabbani asked the chairman. He also called for adjourning the proceedings till the ministers found time to come to the house.

The Senate chairman said Federal Minister for Privatisation Zahid Hamid was visiting Greece with the prime minister, while Minister of State for Finance Omar Ayub Khan had informed him that he would be coming late to the house as he was busy in a meeting. He said there was no disagreement with the points raised by Mr Rabbani and that he would write a letter to the prime minister on the situation. He said he would also refer the Tuesday’s attendance in his letter to the prime minister.

The Senate chairman asked the opposition members to let him start the question hour, saying he would defer the questions related to those ministers who were not present.

Mr Rabbani again took the floor and said the house should be informed as to what were those engagements of the ministers which were more important than the parliament.

Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Salim Saifullah Khan informed the house that Omar Ayub Khan was attending a USAID-sponsored regional conference on economy.

This reply further infuriated the opposition members and Mr Rabbani shouted that first the government handed over the country’s sovereignty to the US and now the parliament’s sovereignty had been put in the hands of a US-based NGO. “Is the NGO meeting more important than the Senate?” He said it seemed the government was running from accountability and its ministers were unable to face the people.

Dr Ismail Buledi of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) said the ministers had trampled the sanctity of the house. He asked the chairman to lodge a protest with the government and said the opposition would support him in doing so. He said there was an army of ministers, but no one bothered to come to the house.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Kamil Ali Agha said Mr Rabbani had raised a valid point and that he would take up the issue with the prime minister. He said the ministers were absent because the session had started on time.

The chairman, however, started the question hour. Interestingly, Leader of the House Wasim Sajjad did not speak on the issue and preferred to remain silent.