The government and the opposition parties have agreed over a formula for the standing committees in the parliament.
A meeting attended by the members of treasury and opposition reached a formula for the committees. The matter will be moved in the National Assembly next week, the sources said.
The chairmen of various committees will be elected after the motion passed by the lower house. Around 47 parliamentary and standing committees will be established in the parliament, sources said. Committees supervised by the opposition include maritime affairs, narcotics control, overseas Pakistanis, railways, religious affairs, trade, textile, federal education, industries and production, communication, defence production and science and technology.
Among 40 lower house standing committees, chairpersons of 21 will belong to the government and 19 will be from the opposition parties, as per the agreed formula.
According to sources, nine chairpersons of committees will be elected from Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). The party, however, has decided against installing any former minister as chair of a committee and instead will provide the names of other members to head a committee, according to sources.
Pakistan People’s Party has also handed over the names of its members for expected chairmen of committees. The party has nominated its chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to chair the parliamentary committee for foreign affairs.
PPP leaders Aftab Shaban Mirani, Naveed Qamar, Mustafa Mehmood, Ghulam Mustafa Shah and Nafeesa Shah could become chairpersons of committees.
The meeting was attended by PTI’s Ali Muhammad Khan, party’s chief Amir Doggar, Khursheed Shah, Naveed Qamar, Shazia Mari, Ayaz Sadiq, Rana Sanaullah, Rana Tanvir and others. The parties have forwarded names for the committees to NA Speaker while a resolution in this regard will also be presented in the House in coming week.
Published in Daily Times, January 18th 2019.
