ISLAMABAD – The National Assembly Standing Committee on House and Library expressed its reservations on Thursday with the security arrangements at Parliament House and Government Hostel. Committee members discussed security arrangements at Parliament House and the hostel and told Islamabad police to take stern measures to ensure foolproof security for both. The committee also told the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to make the arrangements necessary for the provision of shade and water-coolers to the drivers of parliamentarians in the budget session.
The committee’s meeting was held at Parliament house and was chaired by Acting National Assembly Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi.
While discussing the status of the implementation of recommendations by the Special Committee of National Assembly Employees Cooperative Housing Society (NAECHS), the National Assembly additional secretary said officials who were found to be involved in embezzlement according to the report of the special committee had filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court and obtained stay orders.
He said in light of the special committee’s report, the National Assembly Secretariat had already written letters to the departments concerned for action against the suspects, however, no action had been taken so far as the case was still in court. The Islamabad deputy commissioner told the committee that negotiations for the provision of land to members of the society were being carried out with an adjoining society on the recommendation of the special committee.
He said that the administration of the society in question had agreed to provide plots to the members of the society at the same cost that they were assured by the NAECHS. He assured the committee that negotiation process would be finished soon and a deal would be finalised. He said further that the capital administration had seized another 130 kanals of land that belonged to the society from illegal occupants.
The acting speaker told the National Assembly Secretariat to pursue the case actively in court and implement the recommendations of the special committee. He also told the capital administration to negotiate with other societies keeping in view the interest of the employees of the National Assembly and finalise the negotiations soon and submit a report in the next meeting of the committee. He assured the committee that appropriate action would be taken in line with the special committee’s report against those involved in misappropriation of funds from the NAECHS account.
National Assembly Members Saira Afzal Tarar, Asghar Ali Jatt, Shagufta Sadiq, Syed Haider Ali Shah, Sheikh Waqqas Akram and Noor Alam Khan also attended the meeting.