— NA speaker constitutes 13-member committee regarding conduct in NA
ISLAMABAD: National Assembly (NA) Speaker Asad Qaiser on Monday contacted leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) in an effort to calm the environment in the assembly after heated debates between the PML-N and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers limited the discussion session on mini-budget.
Sources said that PML-N leaders responded to Qaiser with demands to take stern action against some federal ministers if the government wanted to create good environment in the Upper House to run all its proceedings.
The PML-N leaders said that the PTI ministers must be restricted from resorting to personal attacks on their leadership if they sought to avoid criticism on Prime Minister Imran Khan. The opposition leaders warned that personal attacks on their leadership will be responded befittingly.
Sources close to the PML-N leadership said that Fawad Chaudhry, Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, Murad Saeed and Shehryar Afridi were blamed for damaging the environment of the National Assembly. PML-N leaders requester the NA speaker to take action over the matter, they added.
NA SPEAKER CONSTITUTES 13-MEMBER COMMITTEE:
Qaiser has also constituted a 13-member committee of Parliamentary leaders in the National Assembly regarding conduct.
The speaker constituted the committee in pursuance of motion adopted by the National Assembly under the rule 244(B) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007. The Committee will work under the chairmanship of the speaker and its terms of reference will be that the committee shall oversee, take note of and examine the matters relating to conduct of members as per rules and practices and make proposals to the Assembly as and when required.
Further guidelines for the committee are:
— The committee shall examine and investigate the cases referred to it by the House and the Speaker with reference to the Conduct of the Members;
— Examine complaints concerning the alleged breach of Code of Conduct by Members;
— The committee shall not take up any matter or complaint merely based on un-substantial media report or any other matter which is sub-judice in a Court of Law;
— The committee shall present its reports to the House including quarterly periodical reports on overall conduct of members;
— The committee may make rules to regulate its procedure; and matters ancillary to the above.
Besides Qaiser , the committee will comprise of Leader of the House/Prime Minister Imran Khan, Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif, Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Minister for Housing and Works Chaudhary Tariq Bashir Cheema, Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui. MNAs Asif Ali Zardari, Asad Mehmood, Khalid Hussain Magsi, Muhammad Akhtar Mengal, Ghous Bux Khan Mahar, Nawabzada Shah ZainBugti and Amir Haider Azam Khan will also be part of the committee.
On Friday, Qaisar adjourned the session for an indefinite period due to lack of quorum as opposition members continued their protest against the inflammatory speech of PTI MNA Murad Saeed on Thursday.
The NA session was adjourned after the opposition members walked out of the session.