PESHAWAR: As if it had nothing better to do, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Thursday got stuck with a matter as trivial as a watchman’s appointment to a tubewell in Bannu district.
The matter was later referred to the House’s relevant committee for examination and recommendation.
During the question hour, MPA of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl from Bannu Malik Riaz raised the issue of appointment of watchman for tubewell in Sheikhan Kaki area of the district. He said an outsider had been appointed to the post, which was an injustice to the local people.
The MPA demanded that the matter be referred to the relevant committee of the assembly. Other members of the opposition benches supported the mover.
Minister for Information Shah Farman, who also holds the portfolio of public health engineer, immediately agreed with the mover and said he had no objection if the question was referred to the committee.
Another JUI-F member from Buner district Maulana Mufti Fazal Ghafoor also raised the issue of vacant post of watchman for a tubewell in his constituency. He was assured through a written reply that the relevant deputy commissioner had been issued directives to fill the vacant post.
Question is one of the important procedural devices that empower the members to seek factual information from the government on a matter of public interest and first hour of the assembly’s proceedings is reserved in the rules of business for questions and answers.
However, members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly brushing aside crucial matters including militancy, kidnapping for ransom and poverty held discussion on minor issues like posting, transfer and appointment of Class-IV employees.
Interestingly, questions related with different departments have been referred to the relevant standing committees of the House but these committees, including the powerful Public Accounts Committee, has yet to be formed.
The relevant ministers and advisers have adopted the strategy of referring almost all questions, call attention notices, privilege motions and issues raised through points of order to the committees concerned.
ANP parliamentary leader Sardar Hussain Babak complained of delay in the formation of the House’s committees.
He said the opposition had given complete authority to the speaker to set up the committees in question as soon as possible because important business had been affecting.
“It shows that the government is not interested in disposing of important business,” he said.
Minister for Works and Services Yousaf Ayub clarifying the government’s position said there were no bad intentions behind the delay in the formation of the committees and the financial constraints could be one of the reasons for it.
He asked members not to refer every question to the committees saying this was very expensive exercise.
Though a call attention notice, MPA Mohammad Asmatullah informed the assembly that officials of the Forest Department had stopped 65 loaded trucks in Mansehra district for carrying legal timber from northern areas to the country’s southern parts.He said those loaded trucks had been stopped at Buttel for last 20 days and the drivers hadn’t been allowed to either go back to northern area or transport timber to the market.
The MPA said the government issued permits for transportation of the timber and over 2,000,000 square feet timber had been transported. He said the provincial government was charging Rs30 per square foot duty on timber.
The MPA said the chief minister’s inspection team had conducted inquiry, while the chief conservator (forests) had also directed local authorities to allow truckers to transport timber, but to no avail.
Law Minister Israrullah Khan Gandapur said he would discuss the issue with the relevant administrative secretary and that the issue would be resolved immediately. During the session, the removal of 1400 employees of provincial workers welfare board also came under discussion.
Parliamentary Secretary Miraj Hamayun said those employees were appointed without following rules and merit and that the department would probe the issue.
The session was later adjourned for indefinite period.