ISLAMABAD: The Senate on Thursday amended rules of procedure to protect the secrecy of in-camera meetings after several complaints arose regarding the matter.
The decision comes in the wake of army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa in-camera meeting in the Senate regarding the national security and a subsequent breach of the meeting’s secrecy.
In the wake of several complaints of the breach of secrecy of proceedings held in-camera by the House and its Committees, the House Business Advisory Committee of the Senate in a special meeting decided to add rule 255A in the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate 2012.
The rule reads, “Where a member of the House or any person specifically participating in any in-camera proceedings, divulges or discloses any information regarding any part of the proceedings or comments or speeches or opinions expressed therein, such matter shall be required to appear before the House Business Advisory Committee, and after being given an adequate opportunity to explain the disclosure attributed to him, may be suspended for a term not exceeding 30 consecutive sittings of the House.”