Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has lectured his cabinet ministers and reprimanded federal secretaries for not taking the parliamentary proceedings seriously, and has assigned the cabinet secretary to supervise the mechanism for prompt response to parliament’s queries and business.
Through a letter issued by the Prime Minister’s Office on March 14, and addressed to all the federal secretaries, the premier directed that from now on, the federal secretary concerned shall be personally responsible for disposal of parliamentary business within the prescribed time with prior approval of the minister in-charge, as detailed in Rules of Business, 1973.
“In no case, response to the parliamentary business shall either be incomplete or delayed for want of lack of attention and details,” he warned and asked that the cabinet secretary will exercise the supervisory role and in case of any lapse responsibility will be fixed and brought to the notice of the PM for orders.
To ensure that the things go smooth and to the satisfaction of parliament, the cabinet secretary has also been told to remain in touch with the office of both National Assembly Speaker and Senate chairman and also appoint a Liaison Officer of the Cabinet Division, not below the level of Joint Secretary, for a continuous feedback.
This letter was issued following the recent unprecedented boycott of assembly proceedings by the National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq after the ministers and their secretaries were found to have been “uninterested” to respond to the House’s business and queries.
Abbasi: In no case, response to the parliamentary business shall either be incomplete or delayed for want of lack of attention and details.
