ISLAMABAD: The controversy over the discussion at the Nov 15 federal cabinet meeting on the Senate chairman’s ruling barring the information minister from attending the current session of the house, created by contradictory statements by two ministers, refuses to die as Fawad Chaudhry has reiterated his claim that the cabinet did take up the issue.

In an interview with a private TV channel on Saturday, Mr Chaudhry claimed that after receiving the news about the ban on his entry to the Senate by the chairman at the end of the cabinet meeting, he had himself raised the matter and the prime minister while expressing annoyance had told him that he had already talked to Sadiq Sanjrani on the issue.

When his attention was drawn to the statement of Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Mohammad Khan made on the floor of the house in which he had denied that the cabinet had expressed annoyance over the Senate chairman’s ruling and also the prime minister’s quote that no one had the right to humiliate ministers, Mr Chaudhry said that Mr Khan might have left the meeting when the issue came under discussion.

Asked if the parliamentary affairs minister had made a “wrong” statement, Mr Chaudhry emphatically said “he is wrong.”

Responding to a question, the information minister hinted at boycotting the Senate proceedings, when he said that he would not go to the house, if not invited.

The controversy surfaced a day after the cabinet meeting when responding to the points raised by the opposition members in their speeches, in which they had lashed out at the government for confronting parliament by discussing the conduct of the Senate chairman in the cabinet meeting, the parliamentary affairs minister claimed that the chairman’s conduct did not come under discussion at the cabinet meeting.

Though the clarification satisfied the opposition members, it raised many questions and prompted demands for action against the information minister for misleading the nation, misquoting the PM and spreading disinformation.

PPP parliamentary leader Sherry Rehman welcomed the statement made by the minister for parliamentary affairs, saying the cabinet should take proper action against the information minister. “The Senate had already taken the required action and now we want to see action from the executive,” she insisted.

Mr Chaudhry, in a media briefing after the cabinet meeting, claimed that the cabinet had expressed annoyance over the ban put by the Senate chairman on his participation in the ongoing session of the house unless he tendered an apology for chiding top opposition leaders by name. He also quoted Prime Minister Imran Khan as saying “nobody had the right to humiliate ministers like this”.

The information minister claimed that the entire cabinet, including the prime minister, expressed annoyance over the ruling.

“We will also have to formulate a strategy if the chairman cannot strike a balance (in the conduct of the house proceedings),” Mr Chaudhry said, adding that he was being asked to apologise for asking where trillions of rupees provided to Balochistan over the last 10 years had been spent. He also rebuked the Senate chairman by saying that he (the minister) had been elected by securing a large number of votes whereas Mr Sanjrani had not been directly elected.

The information minister said that the prime minister had tasked Defence Minister Pervez Khattak with amicably resolving the issue with the Senate chairman.

The next day, the issue was raised in the Senate by former chairman Raza Rabbani who said the Senate chairman’s ruling had evoked a strong reaction from the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government and some remarks had also been attributed to the prime minister. Mr Rabbani noted that the chair’s rulings had not been questioned even during dictatorial regimes.

Referring to Mr Chaudhry’s remarks that Sadiq Sanjrani was not directly elected like himself, Mr Rabbani said Senate chairman held a constitutional office and the procedure for his election was defined in the constitution. President of Pakistan is also indirectly elected and the chief executive, after his election as member of the National Assembly, is also indirectly elected as prime minister.

The Senate chairman, while using his powers given in the rules, had barred the entry of Mr Chaudhry for the two sittings of the Senate after his refusal to tender an apology over his nasty remarks about the opposition members during the proceedings.

Soon after the imposition of a ban on the information minister and the cabinet meeting on the same day, a PTI delegation headed by Defence Minister Pervez Khattak met the Senate chairman.

Interestingly, the official press release issued by the PTI about the meeting appeared to be in contrast with the information minister’s briefing about the cabinet meeting as it said the defence minister had assured the Senate chairman of his cooperation.

Despite repeated attempts, parliamentary Affairs Minister Ali Mohammad Khan could not be contacted for comments.

Published in Dawn, November 25th, 2018