ISLAMABAD: The members of Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination were caught in apparent embarrassment on Thursday after the top officials of the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHSRC) did not show up at the committee's scheduled meeting which led to the adjournment of the Senate panel meeting without transacting the related business.

The committee met under the chair of Khushbakht Shujat from Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P).

The committee had summoned Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Heath Services, Regulations and Coordination Dr Faisal Sultan and Secretary NHSRC Aamir Ashraf Khawaja to get briefings on related issues concerning the Ministry of NHSRC but both the officials did not show up at the meeting.

This attracted the ire of senators who slammed both the officials for 'showing disregard' to the committee proceedings.

"This is just unacceptable. The public office holders and the civil servants have no regard for the Parliament and its committees," said committee's chairperson.

"If, we, the members of the most respected legislative House of Pakistan, can spare time and be here, why not the government officials? Are they above Parliament? Are they above law? Have they got no respect for the Constitution of Pakistan? Don't they know the functioning and sanctity of the parliamentary committees? This is an apex forum that needs to be taken seriously," she added.

"This is blatant show of irresponsibility on the part of the ministry's top officials,' Shujat further said.

The committee that was scheduled to take up a four-point agenda for Thursday meeting ended without transacting the business.

Interestingly, the committee members recommended that a privilege motion be moved but only against the secretary NHSRC- while both the secretary and the SAPM had not attended the committee meeting.

"This is a breach of privilege of Parliament and only through parliamentary committees related recommendations can be made for implementation by the competent authority," the members said.

However, the committee did not formally move a privilege motion and decided that if the senior officials of the ministry remained absent in the committee's next meeting then a privilege motion would be moved against them.

Committee members including Professor Dr Mehr Taj Roghani from the ruling party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Bahramand Khan Tangi and Dr Sikandar Mandhro from Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Muhammad Javed Abbasi and Dr Ghous Muhammad Khan Niazi from Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and independent senators Sana Jamali and Sardar Muhammad Shafiq Tareen as well as senior officers from Ministry of NHSR&C attended the meeting.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020