'Rules of Procedure & Privileges': Absence of Secretary PD, Pepco MD, Sepco officers irks NA body

National Assembly's Standing Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges has expressed its serious displeasure over the absence of Secretary Power Division, managing director Pepco and relevant officers of Sukkur Electricity Power Company (Sepco) from its meeting.

The committee met with Rana Muhammad Qasim Noon in the chair here at Parliament House on Monday. The committee discussed question of privileges raised by members of the National Assembly (MNAs).

Discussing the question of privilege raised by Pir Syed Fazal Ali Shah Jillani, MNA, for alleged disconnection of electricity of his house, the committee expressed its serious concern and resentment over the absence of Secretary Power Division, managing director Pepco and relevant officers from Sepco from the meeting.

The committee decided to take action if the secretary and managing director did not attend the next meeting. The committee also said that minister for energy should also attend the next meeting.

The Minister for Parliamentary Affairs assured the committee that he would talk to the minister for energy regarding consecutive absence of the officers of Power Division in the meetings of said committee. The committee members were also of the suggestion that all concerned officers of Power Division and Sepco should be summoned under rule 227 (4) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007. However, the chairman endorsed the proposal of the minister for parliamentary affairs in this regard.

According to rule 227 (4), "Subject to clause (3) of Article 66, a committee shall have powers vested in civil court under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (Act V of 1908) for enforcing the attendance of any person and compelling the production of documents."

The committee discussed the question of privilege raised by Muhammad Aslam Khan, MNA, regarding raids carried out against his offices without prior information and seizure of his files/record on a false report. The committee directed the additional commissioner-IR, CRTO Karachi, to resolve the matter with the consultation of higher officers of FBR at the earliest.

The committee deferred the agenda pertaining to the privilege motion moved by MNA Atta Ullah, as his telephone calls were not responded by managing directors Water Board Karachi and K-Electric, due to absence of the mover. The committee also deferred the agenda pertaining to the privilege motion raised by MNA Sher Akbar Khan, as his telephone calls were not responded by chief executive officer Pesco, on the request of the mover till the next meeting of the committee.

The committee once again recommended that home department and IGP of Sindh may be requested to provide necessary security to MNA Shagufta Jumani.

The meeting was attended by MNAs Zulifqar Ali Khan Dullah, Mehar Ghulam Muhammad Lali, Khuram Shahzad, Muhammad Amjad Farooq Khan Khosa, Muhammad Sajjad, Chaudhry Armaghan Subhani, Mohsin Nawaz Ranjha, Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhary, Syed Imran Ahmad Shah, Syed Murtaza Mahmud, Pir Syed Fazal Ali Shah Jillani, Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah, Ali Wazir, Muhammad Aslam Khan, and Sher Akbar Khan, besides senior officers from Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, Ministry of Law & Justice and FBR.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019