ISLAMABAD: A meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Problems of Less Developed Areas was cancelled due to the death of senator Azam Khan Musakhel.

One of the most important committees, the Committee on Rules and Procedure and Privileges, has also become dysfunctional due to his demise.

The meeting of the committee on less developed areas was scheduled at Parliament Lodges on Tuesday and a number of important issues including the ministry, details of employees in attached departments, briefing on performance of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council and a grant of scholarships for medical students.

The meeting was cancelled after the death of Azam Khan Musakhel, who belonged to the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party last week in Karachi.

Committee Secretary Chaudhry Salamat Ali told Dawn that the meeting was cancelled due to the death of Azam Musakhel and because the chairman, Usman Khan Kakar is in Balochistan.

He said that in case of the death of a member of the standing committee, another senator may be inducted on the vacant seat at the discretion of the committee chairman.

“That member can be from any party. As senators can be members of more than one committee, anyone can be inducted. However, committees chaired my Azam Musakhel are now headless and elections will be held [for the post] in those committees,” he explained.

The committee Azam Khan Musakhel chaired heard privilege motions by senators.

An official of the Senate Secretariat said the committees of which the late senator was part of can operate even without the induction of a new member.

“Elections will be held in the Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges for a new head,” he said.

Azam Khan Musakhel was elected senator in 2015 for six years.

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2018