After repeated complaints by the opposition and treasury parliamentarians over the absence of concerned ministers and secretaries during the Question Hour in the House, the government on Thursday gave assurance to the PML-N that the ministers and the concerned secretaries would remain present during the Question Hour on their Rota days and while their legislative business was being taken up in the House. A meeting of the members of the treasury and opposition benches was held in the Parliament House, with National Assembly Speaker Fehmida Mirza in the chair, to sort out the issues confronting the House vis-à-vis the proceedings.
Leader of the Opposition Nisar Ali Khan, National Assembly Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi, Minster for Religious Affairs Khursheed Shah, Minister for Water and Power Naveed Qamar, MNAs Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Nawab Yousaf Talpur, Barjees Tahir, Rana Tanvir Ahmad Khan, Sheikh Aftab Ahmad and Tariq Fazal attended the meeting. After a thorough discussion, broader outlines were agreed between the treasury and opposition benches to uphold the supremacy of parliament, to make its proceedings, meaningful and productive. It was decided that all the issues of urgent public interest would be taken up in the Business Advisory Committee at the commencement of the each session of the National Assembly and its decision would be conveyed to all the members of the parliamentary parties for strict adherence.
It was also decided that the attendance of the members would be the responsibility of the chief whips of the respective parliamentary parties especially during the Question Hour and other important parliamentary debates. Both parties had a consensus that the ministers and the secretaries concerned would remain present during the Question Hour on their Rota days and while their legislative business was being taken up in the House.
