The Cabinet has directed the Cabinet Division to submit all decisions of the ECC and Cabinet committees for ratification as per rule 17 of the Rules of Business, 1973.
The decision was taken by the Cabinet while considering ratification of four decisions of the ECC held on January 5, 2018 which are as follows: (i) financing of 1.2 billion Cubic Feet Per Day (BCFD) capital RLNG-III Pipeline Project (Karachi to Lahore) to be undertaken by M/S SSGCL and SNGPL; (ii) allocation of gas from Adam X-1 and Adam West X-1 Gas Fields; (iii) GoP sovereign guarantee for Rs 39 billion for construction of 2 x 660 MW coal power project Jamshoro; and (iv) withdrawal of Sales Tax and Custom Duty on import of cotton.
During the course of discussions, it was observed that Ministries/Divisions considered recommendations of the ECC as final before their submission to the Cabinet for ratification, and notified them as such.
It was pointed out that Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani had taken notice of this matter and gave a ruling that any decision by a Cabinet committee was recommendatory in nature and should not be implemented unless ratified by the Cabinet. It was also mentioned that Cabinet had the power to accord ex-post facto approval to a decision/recommendation made by a cabinet committee.
The Cabinet considered the summary submitted by Cabinet Division for ratification of the decisions taken by the Economic Coordination Committee in its meeting held on January 5, 2018, and accorded ex-post facto approval to the decisions taken in the meeting.
The Cabinet also decided that recommendations of the ECC and other Cabinet committees must be placed before the Cabinet at the earliest for ratification and approval as per rule 17 of the Rules of Business, 1973.
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