Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Asad Qaiser, Speaker of National Assembly directed that all meetings be held during lower house sessions of the National Assembly, cancelling all other meetings of standing committees and sub-committees on Monday night. He gave these orders based on the ongoing austerity drive adopted by the National Assembly.

This directive was issued to avoid giving production orders for the detention of high-profile government officials, including Asif Ali Zardari. His production order was issued by the Chairman of Standing Committee on Industries and Production, Sajid Turi.

Zardari and senior leader of the PML-N, Khwaja Saad Rafique were members of five standing committees each.

PPP demanded the immediate withdrawal of this decision stating it is, “tantamount to deviation from the Constitution”. In a press conference, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari showed his disapproval for this order, stating that it is a ‘fascist’ move, “an attack on the Parliament from within.” He urged the speaker to revoke this decision, pointing out that suspending standing committee sessions would not be helpful in running the lower house.

Bilawal stated that his party will fight this decision every step of the way, “Standing committee meetings allow us to write resolutions and discuss issues that can be brought to the National Assembly. There are 35 standing committees, how can they all be suspended. We are being hindered in our work”.

However, Qaiser re enforced that the ban will not be applicable to Parliamentary committee meetings and the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

PPP’s Noor Bukhari called the speaker a ‘puppet’ of the Prime Minister, stating that he “is in dire need to study the rules and regulations of the Parliament”.