Deputy Speaker NA defers questions over minister’s attitude

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Speaker National Assembly Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah deferred the questions related to Minister of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Hrmony after the Minister of State for interfaith Harmony Khael Das Kohistani said the Ministry did not give him briefing with regard to questions on the agenda.

During the question Hour in the National Assembly on Friday, when the questions related to Ministry of Religious Affairs come up then Minister of State for Interfaith harmony Kheal Das Kohistani said the ministry did not brief him on questions related to religious affairs. “I apologize for this. The House and members will not complain in the future,” he said.

He said the it seems that the Ministry assumes that the reply to a question with regard to Hajj operations will be given by the Parliamentary Secretary . “I had talked to the Ministry that the Prime Minister has given me responsibilities as a Minister of State as Religious Ministry and I am responsible to give reply to the members of the National Assembly. I promised to you that my priority is to ensure my presence in the house and to reply the Parliament and till then I take a briefing defer this question. I assure once again that I am Pakistani first and will do my duty to inform Pakistan about the Hajj operations as my duty.”

Deputy Speaker National Assembly Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah expressed his annoyance over the attitude of the Ministry and asked the Minister of State to write the Secretary Ministry of Religious Affairs why the briefing want given and for not taking the Parliament seriously. “We are also sending instructions to Secretary Religious Affairs from this house that why the briefing was not given andwhy the Parliament was not taken seriously and secretary should send his reply by Monday and if not then action against Seceratry and Ministry will be taken,” he warned. The issue was started to a question of Aliya Kamran pf the JUI (F), who asked the criteria set by the Ministry for selecting its own employees to serve on Hajj duties, under any nomenclature.

* While asking the supplementary question, Aliya Kamran why the criteria for the employees of the Ministry of Religious Affairs who were sent to the Hajj duties is different from the other employees of other ministries.

* She said there is no limit of employees of the Ministry of Religious Affairs for sending on Hajj duties as if their service is of 25 years then they could perform 25 Hajj while there was a limit for employees of other ministries as they could not eligible for Hajj duties after 3 times.

* She said the employees of other ministries had to appear before the NTS test but the employees of Ministry of Religious Affairs were exempt from the test. “The fitness of other employees were also checked while no fitness test of the employees of the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Why this contradiction between the employees of the other Ministries and Ministry of Religious Affairs,” she asked.

However, the reply to a question did not come as the question was deferred after the Minister of State complain that he was not given briefing on it.