ISLAMABAD: Members of the newly constituted Par­­­­liamentary Committee on China-Pakistan Econo­mic Corridor (CPEC) on Tuesday elected Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) MNA from Peshawar Sher Ali Arbab as their chairman without waiting for nominations from the Senate.

According to an official handout issued by the Na­­tional Assembly Secre­tariat, MNA Mehnaz Akber Aziz of the Pakistan Muslim Leag­ue-Nawaz proposed the name of Mr Arbab for the office of the committee’s chairman and it was seconded by independent MNA from Balo­chistan Aslam Bhootani.

The committee was to comprise 14 members of the National Assembly and seven senators belonging to all major parties having representation in parliament. The names of seven senators were to be included in the committee after receiving nominations from Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, according to a notification issued by the NA Secretariat.

However, the Senate chairman did not send names to the speaker due to opposition by some senators over the government’s move to constitute the parliamentary committee when a special committee of the Senate on CPEC headed by Sherry Rehman of the Pakistan Peoples Party had already been functioning.

Sources told Dawn that at a meeting of the House Busi­ness Advisory Com­mit­tee a number of senators belonging to both the treasury and the opposition had termed the formation of the new committee unnecessary.

Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Raja Zafarul Haq said the opposition had nominated its members for the parliamentary committee, but the Senate chairman did not forward them to the speaker due to opposition by some of the senators.

Mr Haq said the Senate chairman would meet the speaker to resolve the issue.

Mr Arbab termed his elec­­tion legal without the nomination and the participation of senators, saying that the quorum for the meeting was complete.

Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2019