ISLAMABAD: A verbal disagreement between PTI leader Shireen Mazari and an official from the water and power ministry occurred during a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privilege on Tuesday.

Ms Mazari, at the meeting, brought up her experience with electricity bills after she changed her electricity meter.

“Before changing the meter, the monthly bill of my house was around Rs18,000, but after changing the meter it increased to Rs60,000. Next month, a bill of over Rs60,000 was sent. I sought a stay order from the court and stopped paying the bill,” she said.

Ms Mazari said an electricity department team then came to her residence and disconnected the electricity supply. She then called her lawyer and electricity was restored, and then disconnected again the next day.

“State Minister Abid Sher Ali also uploaded my bill and declared me [to be] an electricity thief in his tweet,” she said.

Using un-parliamentary language, Ms Mazari said that while she restored the electricity supply through the court, she was worried that underprivileged people would not be able to do the same.

Officials from the electricity department protested her remarks, saying they would leave the committee and did not attend the meeting to be humiliated.

The committee expressed displeasure over the attitude of the Pakistan Electric Power Supply Company additional secretary/managing director for leaving the committee room, and called the secretary to the next meeting, seeking an apology.

The committee also asked for the views of the Ministry of Law and Justice on the question of privilege.

While hearing another privilege motion, the committee was displeased by banks’ policies not to issue credit cards or give loans to parliamentarians. The question of privileges was raised by Ghulam Sarwar Khan and Shazia Marri.

Raza Hayat Hiraj said it was unfair that parliamentarians could not get loans and credit cards.

The committee directed the finance secretary and the state bank governor to submit a report on cases related to the rejected applications from parliamentarians, civil servants and lieutenant generals for credit cards and loans within 15 days.

Published in Dawn September 21st, 2016