Ministers absence annoys Senate chairman

ISLAMABAD, May 2: Senate Chairman Farooq H. Naek on Monday showed annoyance at what he called indifferent attitude of the ministers and senators towards the proceedings of the House and asked Leader of the House Nayyar Bokhari to convey his concerns to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. The chairman also directed the parliamentary leaders of all the parties to ensure the presence of their members in the Upper House so that the matters they had put on the agenda might be pursued. "What is this, Bokhari Sahab? Where is the finance minister? This is a serious issue. Please, inform the prime minister (about it)," an angry Mr Naek said when he found Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh absent from the House after he had already allowed Senator Dr Khalid Soomro of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) to move a resolution regarding the loans written off by the government departments, banks and financial institutions over the years. When Mr Bokhari informed the chairman that the finance minister was present at the start of the session, Mr Naek commented: "It seems he (finance minister) comes merely as a formality. He is taking the Parliament as a joke." "It seems so", said Mr Bokhari while supporting the chairman's views. The absenteeism has constantly been affecting the Senate proceedings putting a question mark on its performance. During the last session, the Upper House failed to take up majority of the agenda items due to the absence of either movers or the concerned ministers. So much so the House had to postpone the mandatory debate on the March 22 address of President Asif Ali Zardari to the joint sitting of the Parliament for four consecutive days due to lack of interest of the members. On Monday, the Senate started its proceeding in the same manner as was left on April 7 when it was prorogued. The chairman found no option but to defer majority of the business on the private member's day due to the absence of either the movers or the concerned ministers, forcing him to issue the strictures.