ISLAMABAD: A meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Rules and Procedure and Privileges was postponed on Monday after the interior minister, and secretaries of interior and parliamentary affairs did not show up.

The decision to postpone the meeting was taken by the chairman of the committee, Sardar Azam Khan Musakhel on the suggestion of PPP Senator Mian Raza Rabbani, who said there was no reason for continuing the meeting in the absence of the heads of the concerned ministries.

Many members of the committee had come to attend the meeting including Dilawar Khan, retired Brig John Kenneth Williams, Saadia Abbasi, Khanzada Khan and movers of motions including senators Mohsin Aziz and Usman Khan Kakar.

Bureaucrats, ministers routinely miss meetings since caretaker government has come into being, committee chairman says

The committee had to discuss a number of important privilege motions moved by the senators such as that moved by PTI Senator Mohsin Aziz on May 3, 2018.

Mr Aziz had claimed that on March 9 at 8pm, security personnel deputed on the route of the prime minister’s convoy had misbehaved with him while he was walking on a track parallel to Margalla Road, in F-6/3.

Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party Senator Usman Khan Khattar said that on July 9, 2018, a Frontier Corps Soobedar had misbehaved with him at Qila Saifullah.

Mr Rabbani told Dawn that he had suggested postponing the meeting to give the message that the caretaker minister and secretaries should not have ignored proceedings of a parliamentary committee.

“It was also pointless to continue with the meeting in absence of the minister in charge of both the interior and parliamentary affairs ministries and secretaries. We were told that the secretary interior was out of the country but he did not bother to inform the committee,” he said.

He said there is a general tendency towards taking parliament lightly.

“We will not allow any minister or bureaucrat to take parliament lightly,” he added.

Committee Chairman Sardar Musakhel told Dawn that bureaucrats and ministers have made it routine to be absent from meetings since the caretaker government has come into being.

“We therefore decided to postpone the meeting and the next one will be held on Aug 16. I will discuss the matter with the members for taking appropriate action against those who did not bother attending the meeting. Bureaucracy has to give priority to parliamentary proceedings,” he said.

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2018