ISLAMABAD: The Senate has expressed serious annoyance at Chairman Nepra, Tauseef H Farooqi for directly writing a letter to Chairman Senate, Sadiq Sanjrani, maintaining that the letter is tantamount to a breach of privilege of Chairman Senate.
Chairman Nepra, in his letter of December 29, 2021, to Chairman Senate, had drawn his attention towards the recent amendment in the Regulation of Generation, Transmission and Distribution of Electric Power Act, 1997(XL of 1997), referred as the Regulation of Generation, Transmission and Distribution of Electric Power (Second Amendment) Act, 2021, which makes it mandatory for Chairman to attend all public hearings and regulatory meetings.
Accordingly, the Chairman will not be able to attend the meetings in person. For ease of reference and consideration, the relevant and applicable part of section 5, sub-section (2) is as follows “the Chairman and two other members shall constitute a quorum for a meeting of the Authority requiring a decision by the Authority.”
However, as per requirement, the concerned Member/Director General will attend the meetings. Chairman Nepra, however, did not mention another clause of the Act, which stipulates that “provided that members of the Authority shall nominate a member amongst themselves to work as an acting Chairman in case of absence of the Chairman, as the case may be, for meeting the Authority.”
Responding to the letter of Chairman Nepra, Adan Ibne Asad, an officer of Senate Secretariat stated that he has been directed to inform him that all Senate Committees function independently under Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Senate, 2012 and office of Chairman Senate does not look or interfere in the internal matters of the Committee meetings. The appropriate office to extend such correspondence is the office of the Chairman of the relevant Senate Committee.
Addressing the Chairman Senate directly by the Chairman of Nepra is not appropriate as per his position in the Warrant of Precedence issued by the Cabinet Division, Government of Pakistan and tantamount to breach of privilege of the Chairman Senate. Chairman Nepra was directed to reach out to appropriate forums for any communication in future.
Chairman Standing Committee on Power contends that Chairman Nepra willfully avoided the Senate Standing Committee meetings time and again and last time he used the excuse of the Cabinet meeting which was held two and half hours later.
Chairman Standing Committee has conveyed to Chairman Nepra that he would have to be present himself before the Committee otherwise he would be brought forcefully.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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