Senate Chairman Nayyar Hussain Bukhari on Wednesday ignored the lack of quorum repeatedly pointed out by the irritated treasury Senator Zahid Khan and continued with the ‘illegal proceedings’ amid a heated debate on ‘government’s ill intentions’ towards the devolution process followed by a walkout even by the treasury parties and PPP Senator Raza Rabbani.
During the question hour, the lawmakers entered into a heated debate on the ‘irritants’ affecting the devolution of powers to the provinces under the 18th Constitutional amendment and called for formation of a special committee to sort out the ‘lacunae’ and make suggestions to the federal government to address the issue.
After walkout from the House over the government’s retaining of vertical programmes as national programmes on Malaria, TB and AIDS that were devolved to the provinces, Senator Zahid at least on four different occasions pointed out quorum but he could not get the attention of chairman. The senate rules clearly say: “If, at any time during a sitting of the Senate, the attention of the presiding officer is drawn to the fact that less than one-fourth of the total membership of the Senate is present, he shall cause the bells to be rung for five minutes, but if no quorum is available even then the bells stop ringing, he shall adjourn the sitting for 30 minutes and if again there is no quorum, he shall adjourn the sitting for the next working day provided that a member pointing out quorum shall remain present in the chamber until a decision is made by the chairman on the pointation of quorum”. The quorum was visibly lacking, however, the chairman at one occasion adjourned the proceedings for 30 minutes and at rest of the occasion the pointation of quorum went unnoticed with Senator Zahid Khan continued peeping from the door of the lobby in the House.
During the question hour, Senator Zahid Khan raised the issue of provincial autonomy, stating that since the vertical programmes had been devolved, the same were being administered by the federal government in violation of the constitution. Nazar Mohammad Gondal, minister for CADD, stated that after devolution of ministry of health, the economic affairs division submitted a summary with the prime minister highlighting concerns shown by donors and international partners to place a federal mechanism to ensure continuity of approved grants and to ensure securing of grant funds in future from donors. He said the prime minister therefore had approved the said programmes in the interest of public health and to safeguard the support provided by donors.