Islamabad, the 5th July, 2021: A meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges was held today at 1:00 p.m in the Constitution Room, Parliament House, Islamabad under the Chairmanship of Rana Muhammad Qasim Noon, MNA.  

1. The Confirmation of minutes of previous meeting of the Committee held on 7-6-2021;

2. The Comprehensive report/Implementation status of the previous recommendations of the Committee was placed before the Committee;

3. On the Question of Privilege raised by Mr. Fawad Ahmed, Minister for Science & Technology regarding character assassination of the Hon. Minister on BOL TV Channel (Referred on 02-01-2020); as the Hon. Mover did not attend the meeting therefore the Committee pended the Question of Privilege till its next meeting.

4. On the Briefing by Barrister Raheel Ahmed on the issue of contempt of Parliament including the Briefing by M/o Parliamentay Affairs on preparation of draft Bill on the contempt of Parliament (issue raised on 05-03-2020); the Committee unanimously decided that Mr. Mohsin Nawaz Ranjha, MNA/Member of the Privilege Committee, Mr. Sher Ali Arbab, MNA (Special Invitee), Mr. Abdul Latif Yousafzai, Advisor to the Hon. Speaker on (Legal & Constitutional Matters),  Barrister Qasim Ali Chowhan, Additional Advocate General, Punjab  and Barrister Raheel Ahmed should have a joint meeting on it and give a report to the Committee within fifteen days.

5. On the Question of Privilege raised by Mr. Abdul Shakoor Shad, MNA regarding non response to the telephone call of honourable MNA by Commissioner Karachi. (Referred on 10-8-2020); the Committee directed to issue a letter to all the Chief Secretaries, Inspector Generals of Police and the Federal Secretaries for directing all concerned to attend the phone calls of the Hon. MNAs. On the un-conditional apology tendered by Ex. Commissioner Karachi, the Committee unanimously decided to dispose of the Question of Privilege.

6. On the Question of Privilege raised by Sahibzada Muhammad Mehboob Sultan, Minister for States and Frontier Regions and Mr. Muhammad Ameer Sultan, Parliamentary Secretary for National Food Security and Research regarding alleged non-cooperation of DPO, Jhang with the MNAs on telephone; (Referred on 12-8-2020); the Committee pended the Question of Privilege till its next meeting with the direction that the Secretary, Establishment Division should provide a comprehensive report to the Committee that what steps should be taken by the Establishment Division as per Rules against the Ex.D.P.O Jhang. The Committee also directed Barrister Qasim Ali Chowhan, to request to the Attorney General for Pakistan to have a meeting with the Chief Justice, Lahore High Court, Lahore for giving in his notice the situation of the court case in this regard. The Committee also directed that the Litigation Wing of the National Assembly Secretariat should also pursue this matter in the court very actively.

7. On the Question of Privilege raised by Dr. Darshan, MNA regarding not attending the telephone calls of the Hon. Member by Mr. Muhammad Saleem, CEO, SEPCO, Sukkur referred to the Committee on 1-2-2021, the Committee directed that all the CEOs of the DISCOS, M.D PEPCO and Secretary M/o Energy (Power Division) should attend the next meeting of the Committee in person. The Committee expressed its displeasure against the XEN, SEPCO and directed that the departmental Inquiry should be initiated against him for misbehaving with the Hon. Member. The Committee also directed that the CEO, PESCO should have a meeting with the Hon. Member for resolving his issue. The Committee pended the Question of Privilege till its next meeting.

8. On the Question of Privilege raised by Makhdoom Syed Sami-ul-Hassan Gillani, MNA regarding allegedly misbehavior/use of insulting language against honourable Member by Mr. Nadir Qayyum, Chief Engineer, Pak PWD, Punjab, referred to the Committee on 26-2-2021, as the Hon. Mover accepted the un-conditional apology tendered by Mr. Nadir Qayyum, therefore, the Committee unanimously decided to dispose of the Question of Privilege.
9. On the Question of Privilege raised by Malik Anwar Taj Advocate, MNA/Parliamentary Secretary against Mr. Abdul Jabbar, Chief PESCO Khyber Pakhtunkhwa concerning his ignorance and rough attitude with the Hon. Member, referred to the Committee on 18-3-2021, the Committee recommended that the vacancies lying vacant in PESCO should be filled as early as possible by the Powe Division. The Committee also directed the CEO, and XEN, PESCO, to have a meeting with the Hon. Mover and resolve his grievances and report to the Committee within fifteen days.

10. On the Question of Privilege raised by Malik Anwar Taj Advocate, MNA/Parliamentary Secretary against Mr. Shaukat Ullah, XEN (Shabqadar) Distt. Charsadda, PESCO, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa concerning his ignorance and rough attitude with the Hon. Member, referred to the Committee on 18-3-2021, the Committee recommended that the vacancies lying vacant in PESCO should be filled as early as possible by the Powe Division. The Committee also directed the CEO, and XEN, PESCO, to have a meeting with the Hon. Mover and resolve his grievances and report to the Committee within fifteen days.
11. The Question of Privilege raised by Mr. Ramesh Lal, MNA, and other MNAs against allegedly not-attending the telephone calls of the Hon. Members by Mr. Kazim Jatoi, Secretary, health Department, Government of Sindh, referred to the Committee on 29-3-2021, the Committee expressed its displeasure for not attending the meeting by Secretary, M/o Health. The Committee directed that the Chief Secretary, Sindh and Secretary, Health Department, Singh should attend the next meeting of the Committee in person. The Committee pended the Question of Privilege till its next meeting.
12. On the Question of Privilege raised by Mr. Muhammad Aslam Khan, MNA against in-action of Inspector General of Police, Sindh on his written complaints regarding threats to his life, referred to the Committee on 29-3-2021, the Committee pended the Question of Privilege till its next meeting with the direction that Secretary, M/o Interior, Mr. Shair Alam Mahsood, Special Secretary, M/o Interior, Inspector Generals of Police of all the Provinces and the Secretaries, Home Departments of all the Provinces should attend the next meeting of the Committee in person.

13. On the Question of Privilege raised by Mr. Muhammad Iqbal Khan, MNA against allegedly not-attending the telephone call of the Hon. Member by Mr. Khalid Mehmood, Deputy Commissioner, Peshawar referred to the Committee on 21-5-2021, as the D.C, Peshawar responded that he had a lot of respect of the Hon. Member, there can be some mis-understanding in this regard. He also added that he also called back to the Hon. Member. The Committee disposed of the Question of Privilege.
14. On the Question of Privilege raised by Mr. Faheem Khan, MNA regarding allegedly non-attending the telephone call of the Hon. MNA by Managing Director, Water Board, Karachi and lodging a FIR No. 603/2021 against the Hon. Member. (Referred on 21-5-2021), the Committee pended the Question of Privilege with the direction that water connections in the constituency of the Hon. Mover should be allowed on priority basis. The Committee also recommended that the FIRs lodged against the Hon. Member should be discharged and report to the Committee in its next meeting.
15. On the Amendment moved by Mr. Sher Ali Arbab, MNA in Rules 203 of the Rules of Procedure.- that in the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007, after sub-rule (5), the following new sub-rule (6) shall be inserted:-

“(6) Actionable Audit Paras of the report of the Public Accounts Committee adopted by the House shall stand referred to the concerned Standing Committee and Ministry concerned shall submit its implementation report to the Committee.”  (Referred on 27-5-2021), the Committee unanimously decided to pend the amendment till its next meeting. The Committee also decided that the Auditor General of Pakistan should also be invited in the next meeting of the Committee.

16. On the Question of Privilege raised by Ch. Shaukat Ali Bhatti, MNA regarding allegedly not-attending the telephone call of the Honourable MNA by Mr. Inam Ghani, Inspector General of Police, Punjab referred to the Committee on 22-4-2021, the Committee pended the Question of Privilege till its next meeting. The Committee also directed that the Secretary, M/o National Food Security and Research should initiate an inquiry on the issues raised by the Hon. Mover. The Committee also directed that the Secretary, M/o National Food Security and Research should also have a meeting with the Hon. Mover, Ch.Shaukat Ali Bhatti, Mr. Nawab Sher and Mr. Khurram Shahzad, MNAs/ Members of the Committee in this regard. The Committee also directed that the M.D, PASSCO should attend the next meeting of the Committee in person.  

17. The Committee also appointed a Sub-Committee on the issues of the matters of the Hon. Members with CDA under the convenership of Mr. Nawab Sher and Mr. Khurram Shahzad, Mr. Junaid Anwar Chaudhry and Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah, MNAs as its members with the direction that the Notification of this Sub-Committee would be issued after the end of time of the Sub-Committee already appointed under the convenership of Mr. Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhary.

18. The Committee also directed that the M.D Sui Gas, M.D, SNGPL, Chairman, NEPRA should be invited in the next meeting of the Committee on the issue of the Hon. Members with these Departments.

19. The Committee also directed that M.D/CEO, PIA should also attend the next meeting of the Committee on the issues of the Hon. Members with PIA, the position of implementation status of the previous recommendations of the Committee on the issue of PIA/Air tickets including the issue of 30 tickets of business class of the Hon. Members with PIA.

20. The meeting was attended by Rana Muhammad Qasim Noon, Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Khan Dullah, Mr. Nawab Sher, Mr. Khurram Shahzad, Ms. Ghulam Bibi, Rai Muhammad Murtaza Iqbal, Makhdoomzada Syed Basit Ahmed Sultan, Mr. Muhammad Sajjad, Mr. Mohsin Nawaz Ranjha, Rana Sana Ullah Khan, Mr. Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhary, Syed Imran Ahmad Shah, Pir Syed Fazal Ali Shah Jillani, Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah, Ms. Shagufta Jumani and Eng. Ali Muhammad Khan, Advocate, MNAs/Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs.

21. The meeting was also attended by Mr. Abdul Shakoor Shad, Sahibzada Muhammad Mehboob Sultan, DR. Darshan, Makhdoom Syed Sami-ul-Hassan Gillani, Malik Anwar Taj, Mr. Ramesh Lal, Mr. Muhammad Aslam Khan, Mr. Faheem Khan,  Mr. Sher Ali Arbab, Mr. Muhammad Iqbal Khan and Ch. Shukat Ali Bhatti, MNAs/Minister/Parliamentary Secretary as Movers.

22. The Committee also invited Mr. Shah Zain Bugti, MNA as a Special Invitee.