ISLAMABAD: Amid stiff resistance offered by the opposition parties, a parliamentary body on Tuesday passed a bill seeking to appoint qualified persons as members and chairman of the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra).
The National Assembly Standing Committee on Law and Justice, which met with MNA Riaz Fatyana in the chair, passed the Regulation of Generation, Transmission and Distribution of Electric Power (Amendment) Bill, 2019, moved by MNA Munaza Hassan.
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz, while briefing the committee about the bill said the main objective of the bill was to appoint qualified persons as members and chairman of the Nepra as per the criterion proposed in the amendment rather than mere representation of the provinces.
"The role of regulatory body is very important for addressing problems faced by the energy sector," he said, adding the provincial governments would nominate their representatives.
However, the committee's members from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) opposed the amendment that the members shall be appointed by the provinces or the federal government.
They urged the mover to amend the bill and remove word "or federal government".
MNA Naveed Qamar said the appointment of members was the job of the provinces, and how you give the power of the provinces to the federal government.
"This bill will compromise the rights of the provinces", he said.
Munaza Hassan said the federal government would only appoint member from the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).
"If provinces failed to appoint member then the federal government will appoint the member," she said.
At this, Qamar said that now the cat was out of the bag, and they were snatching the right of the provincial government.
MNA Mohsin Nawaz Ranjha said that the proposed amendment was against the Constitution; therefore, it should be rejected.
"If the committee passed the bill, we will challenge it in the court," he said.
Shibli said that why would the federal government snatch the right of the provinces.
"Provinces need to nominate qualified person as member of the NEPRA," he said.
The members of the opposition parties requested the committee's chairman, Riaz Fatyana, to amend the bill before its passage.
However, the chairman, decided to settle the matter through voting.
Fatyana asked the members present to cast votes for or against the bill.
During the voting, six of the members voted for the bill, while four opposed it.
Ranjha, Qamar, Dr Nafisa Shah, and Syed Hussain Tariq submitted their note of dissent.
Following the passage of the bill, PPP's Qamar staged a walkout of the committee meeting.
According to the statement of objects and reasons of the bill the competency of senior management of the regulatory body is of vital importance as it establishes a vision and policy for the provision of services, strategies and plans for delivery.
The amendment in the Act aims at strengthening the administration of the regulator in the power sector.
Hence, the criterion prescribed in the proposed amendment for the appointment of the members and chairman are made explicit according to the position they hold, rather than mere representation of the provinces.
Furthermore, age prescribed for the appointments of the members and the chairman is proposed as per logical availability in market to engage the workforce for the same.
The committee also unanimously passed the Trained Paramedical Staff Facility Bill, 2019, moved by MNA Shazia Marri, seeking to provide trained paramedical staff facility at every public and private school to ensure that due care of the future generation is of utmost importance to the state.
The committee considered the Maternity and Paternity Leave Bill, 2020, moved by Shazi Marri, and after detailed deliberation, unanimously passed it.
The parliamentary committee also passed the Federal Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2019, and the National Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2018, moved by MNA Kishwer Zehra, after detailed discussion.
The committee passed Pakistan Psychological Council Bill, 2020, moved by MNA Fatyana.
As Fatyana was the mover of the bill, hence, MNA Lal Chand was requested to convene the meeting. After detailed discussion, the committee passed the bill.
MNA Atta Ullah, Muhammad Sana Ullah Khan Masti Khel, Shunila Ruth, Chaudhry Muhammad Bashir Virk, Alia Kamran, and senior officials of the Ministry of Law and Justice also attended the meeting.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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