ISLAMABAD, March 10: The government told the Senate on Wednesday that an inquiry report on recent killings of 13 people by troops' firing in South Waziristan tribal agency would be available in three to four days. States and Frontier Regions Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao said the report of an inquiry committee of officials would be presented to the upper house, which was later prorogued and, according to parliamentary sources, was likely to be summoned again next week.
Referring to lack of confidence voiced by some opposition members about the three-member committee, the minister said it was led by a senior grade-22 officer having a vast knowledge of the area.
The last sitting of the Senate session witnessed a barrage of points of order that overlapped main agenda items on the private members' day when only the discussion on education policy, on a motion by PML-Q member Mrs Tanvir Khalid form Karachi, was wound up by Education Minister Zubaida Jalal.
Senators used points of order to highlight all sorts of issues despite repeated requests by Chairman Mohammedmian Soomro to stick to agenda and rules. At one point, PML-Q's veteran parliamentarian Chaudhry Mohammad Anwar Bhinder asked the chair to allow members to go home if important motions moved by them for discussion could not be taken up because of points of order which must be raised only to point out violation of the rules of procedure.
The chairman conceded that the house had gone too far in allowing points of order and that time should be regulated through prior understanding between the treasury and opposition members.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs State Minister Mohammad Raza Hayat Hiraj emphasized that normal business of the house should not be compromised by points of order.
PPP parliamentary leader Raza Rabbani agreed that rules should be followed but said leniency should be given to members who never got a chance to express themselves during the already concluded debate on President Pervez Musharraf's Jan 17 speech to a joint sitting of parliament.
"When majority of our motions and questions are being killed by the Senate secretariat then the members are left with no choice but to express themselves through points of order," he said. The leader of the house, Wasim Sajjad, suggested that members should be restricted to follow rules in the future.