ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) on Thursday expressed displeasure over the “deliberate delay on the part of the federal government” in establishing a permanent secretariat for the Council of Common Interests (CCI).

The Senate committee has decided to summon Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Fawad Hasan Fawad to its next meeting to explain the delay.

Outspoken IPC minister Riaz Hussain Pirzada told the standing committee on Thursday that despite Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani’s ruling and a court order, he did not know why the federal government was reluctant to set up a permanent secretariat for the CCI in Islamabad.

“The CCI secretariat could be set up within a week, but the government does not want to set up this highly-important secretariat,” Senator Mir Kabeer Ahmed Sahi said. Senator Mukhtiar Ahmed Dhamrah added that the government’s attitude and its delay in setting up the secretariat could be damaging to relations between the provinces and the federation.

Mr Pirzada added that there were no delays on the part of his ministry, blaming the Prime Minister’s Office for delaying the finalisation of the summary.

He suggested that the principal secretary to the prime minister and other stakeholders be summoned to the next standing committee meeting to brief the committee on why this matter has been delayed.

The committee agreed to discuss the issue at the next meeting, to which all stakeholders, including Mr Fawad, will be summoned.

The government is bound, by Article 154(3) of the Constitution, to establish a permanent secretariat for the CCI with equal representation from all four provinces. According to the IPC working paper present to the committee, the cabinet decided in principle to establish a permanent CCI secretariat on Dec 15, 2016.

The IPC minister said there was no problem regarding space for the secretariat, at the CCI’s offices could be set up in a new government building. He said his request for a floor to be allotted in the new building has been with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar for several months.

IBCC policy for O, A Level students

The committee also discussed what it believed to be a discriminatory Inter Board Committee of Chairmen (IBCC) policy for O and A Level students, under which they are awarded lower scores on their equivalence certificates as compared to students studying under other intermediate and secondary education boards.

The committee discussed a calling attention notice on the issue moved by Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq on the floor of the house, which was referred to the committee.

Committee members also expressed concerns about the IBCC’s decision not to accept international foundation courses that are an alternative to A Levels, and directed IBCC officials to bring suggestions to resolve the problem to the next meeting.

Published in Dawn, October 27th, 2017