LAHORE, Oct 21: The outstanding issue of constitution of Punjab Assembly’s standing committees is likely to be resolved on Oct 23 as a meeting of the leaders of the three major parliamentary parties – the PML-N, PPP and PML-Q – has been convened for the purpose.

The issue has been lingering on since the house came into being after the oath-taking of MPAs on April 9 as the opposition leader, who nominates members of the opposition to the committees, was not notified until Aug 4.

After protest by the opposition and some treasury members who could not find place in the provincial cabinet and hoped to be accommodated as chairpersons of around 42 committees, the speaker convened a meeting of the treasury and opposition leaders on Oct 6.

But the participants failed to submit their lists of nominees for the bodies as Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan gave them seven days to accomplish the task.The deadline could not be met as, sources said, except the PML-N no other party had finalized its respective lists.

The opposition, the PML-Q, set in another controversy by deciding not to give representation to around 36 members of its forward bloc on the committees. However, it had to give in when legal consultants told it that an MPA violating its respective party’s policy might be unseated (through the legal course) but he/she could not be denied his/her right to participate in the legislative work, the real purpose for the establishment of an assembly. And the legislative work takes place through standing committees of the house.

The PML-Q is now likely to nominate the forward bloc members on the committees that are unimportant and seldom meet during the life span of the assembly like those concerning culture and sports, fisheries and forest sectors.—Amjad Mahmood