Five of the independent senators elected from FATA in the March Senate elections have formed their independent group and have decided to sit on the treasury benches as the Senate chairman is in the process to forming new standing committees of the House.
In pursuance of the rule 15 of the Rules of Procedure and conduct of Business in the Senate 2012, five independent members from FATA elected to the Senate have formed an independent group to work as coalition partner with the treasury benches and have nominated Senator Abbas Khan to be their leader in the Senate, said a Senate circular.
The senators who decided to join treasury benches included Abbas Khan, Hidayat Ullah, Muhammad Idrees Khan Safi, Muhammad Saleh Shah and Malik Najmul Hassan. However, three FATA senators including Hilalur Rehman, Haji Khan and Malik Najmul Hassan have decided to continue with their independent position in the House of 104.
The oversight role of the parliamentary committees of the Upper House of parliament is at stand still since mid-March when all the Senate Standing committees were dissolved on March 12. Around 31 parliamentary committees of the Senate including 25 standing committees, three functional committees and three special committees were dissolved.
According to the Senate sources, all the senators have submitted with the Secretariat their options to be member of the committees of the House. The Senate Secretariat before the notification of new committees seeks priorities from the lawmakers to become member of the committees. It is likely that the chairman senate, Nayyar Bukhari announced the new committees within next month.
Newly-passed Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate 2012 say that each standing committee shall consist of not less than twelve members and no more than fifteen members. Similarly, a member shall not be a member of more than four standing committees/functional committees at the same time.
Under the rules regarding functions of the committees, the standing committee shall examine a Bill, subject or matter referred to it by the Senate or the Chairman, as the case may be, with such recommendations including suggestions for legislation, if any, as it may deem necessary. A committee may examine suo motu the expenditures, administration, delegated legislation, public petitions and policies of the ministry concerned and its attached corporations and public bodies and may call for views of the ministry.
