The Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan recently told the National Assembly that some members of Parliament got foreigners appointed to the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) and he will need Parliament’s help to clear the mess. He said that he would forward the names of such members to the NA speaker and Senate chairman. The minister also told the House that various comprehensive measures had been taken to control corruption in the subordinate organisations of his ministry and improve their working. Also, he had to do a lot of hard work in order to control the corrupt mafia while 200 corrupt employees of Nadra had been dismissed in the last one year. While the revelation that members of Parliament had helped to appoint foreigners to a sensitive organisation like Nadra was indeed stunning, Nisar’s offer that the performance of his ministry could be debated in the National Assembly should be welcomed by all and sundry. In fact, all ministers should regularly come to the National Assembly and the Senate and brief members on their respective performances during the last two and a half years. For example, concerned ministers could brief Parliament on issues like the LNG import that is dominating the news for sometime, the railway accidents that have suddenly mushroomed and efforts being made to tackle them, progress made on ending the lingering loadshedding issue and gas crisis, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and a host of other issues. There has been criticism on the government over the ministers’ absence from the National Assembly and the Senate. In fact, some political parties on not getting answers to questions they had put up and walked out of the House and severely criticised the government. All this can be curtailed if ministers appear before both the houses and brief their members regularly on issues of national and international importance. No doubt this will increase trust in the government and the
