Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The legislative body of the Lower House on Tuesday took a strong notice of holding of elections in the National Assembly and the Senate Housing Society and directed the Chief Commissioner Islamabad to submit a written reply.

MNA Ch. Jafar Iqbal was of the view that the Chief Commissioner, Zulfiqar Haider, breached the privilege of the NA Standing Committee on House and Library, who directed the chief commissioner to postpone the election in the housing society, but the Commissioner totally set aside the recommendations of the committee and held an election there.

The Chairman NA committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges, Chaudhry Asad-ur-Rehman, has asked the Chief Commissioner; “Under which law or authority you have ignored the recommendations of the NA committee.” He also said; “you are present here in the capacity of an accused person as you violated the recommendations made by the NA body.”

The legal advisor of the local administration tried to intervene and respond on the issue, but the Chairman of the Committee cut them short and asked them to leave the committee room because “you don’t have the capacity to respond on the issue”. The legal advisor retaliated by saying that the behaviour of committee’s chairman is derogatory.

The Chairman responded in a hard tune and questioned; “You alleged us that our behaviour is derogatory, whereas in fact you commit a disrespect to the whole parliament by flouting its recommendations.” He further added that no one is above the parliament in the country.

Chaudhry Asad-ur-Rehman warned the commissioner to “tell us under which law you had ignored the recommendations of the NA committee. Otherwise be ready to face the consequences.”

The Chief Commissioner Islamabad has tried to brief the committee that the said Housing society was being run without holding elections and run by the administrator for the last five years. He further said that the election was mandatory according to the rules and regulations, but the committee considered his verification unsatisfactory and directed him to submit a written replay in this regard.

A meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges met on Tuesday in Committee Room No. 7, Fourth Floor, Parliament House, Islamabad, under the Chairmanship of Ch. Asad-ur-Rehman. MNAs Chaudhry Khadim Hussain, Ch. Mehmood Bashir Virk, Rana Umer Nazir Khan, Ch. Bilal Ahmed Virk, Mr. Najaf Abbas Sial, Mr. Muhammad Raza Hayat Harraj, Mr. Azhar Qayyum Nahra, Mr. Abdul Majeed Khan Khanan Khail, Sheikh Muhammad Akram, Mr. Mumtaz Ahmed Tarar, Ms. Kiran Haider, Mr. S. A. Iqbal Quadri, Mr. Muhammad Ali Rashid, Ms. Asiya Nasir, also attended the meeting.