Parliamentary business was again put on the backburner on Friday, reflecting government’s indifference, as no answers were submitted to more than a dozen queries of lawmakers lying pending in the National Assembly for many sessions.
Annoyed at the absence of senior interior ministry officials, the speaker at one stage directed the joint secretary and a section officer of the ministry to leave the gallery and summon the interior secretary himself within five minutes.
The opposition, in recent months, has strongly criticised the treasury benches for the absence of the ministers in the lower house of parliament.
State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry told the House that some answers were sought from the provinces, which was why he could not furnish answers. The speaker, dismissing the argument, responded that most of the questions had nothing to do with the provinces.
“I cannot run the house in these conditions,” Sadiq told the state minister. He said that lawmakers worked hard to prepare their questions, but the ministries failed to respond. However, the Question Hour continued, with Talal giving replies.
Responding to the query of PPP’s Dr Nafisa Shah about the morale of Islamabad police after the singing of agreement by the government with the participants of a sit-in on Faizabad Interchange, Chaudhry informed the House that various steps had been taken to improve the performance of the police officials.
Best medical treatment was being provided to officials of the law-enforcement agencies who got injured during the sit-in in Islamabad by a religious group, he informed.
The House, during the day, also took up Shakila Lukman’s call-attention notice regarding non-allotment of government residential accommodations to the employees of the National Assembly and the Senate secretariats.
Postal Services Minister Maulana Amir Zaman replied that a summary had been moved for the allotment of government residential accommodations to the employees of all constitutional bodies, including the National Assembly and the Senate secretariats.
