F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Solangi Friday appreciated the performance and cooperation of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs during the caretaker government’s tenure.
This he said while speaking at a farewell ceremony organized in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs in his honour. The minister said with the grace of Allah Almighty, the democratic process was going on in the country. Murtaza Solangi said he had been reiterating the commitment of the government since the first day that the elections would be held at time schedule given by Election Commission of Pakistan.
“The caretaker government organized timely elections and today new assemblies have come into being in the country”, Murtaza Solangi maintained. Democracy could not succeed without people’s participation, Murtaza Solangi said and expressed the hope that the new government would meet the expectations of the people. He said as the Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, it was an honour for him to participate in the meetings of the Parliament.
He also thank the Members of Parliament and all the political parties who had cooperated with him during the tenure of the caretaker government. On this occasion, the Additional Secretary and Senior Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs informed the minister about the performance and initiatives of the ministry during the caretaker period. At the end of the ceremony, Murtaza Solangi met all the staff personally.
Meanwhile, Caretaker Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Murtaza Solangi on Friday bid farewell to the Upper House of the Parliament after receiving acclaim from the Deputy to Chairman Senate on behalf of the House for his cooperation.
During the sixth meeting of the 355th session of the Senate, the Minister requested the Chair to defer the question hour session for the next meeting so that the upcoming Minister should take up the queries of the Senator after the new regime comes into power.
Solangi said the Prime Minister’s election was going to held on Sunday and the new government would be formed consequently. Therefore, the House must take up its question hour in the next session so that the newly elected regime and minister shall better reply to the queries to the members of the House.
Deputy Chairman Senate, Mirza Muhammad Afridi extended his gratitude to the interim Minister for his cooperation and time. “The Minister for Parliamentary Affairs used to give time to the House but the interim minister gave his due time and attention to the Upper House. The House thank you for your efforts,” he said.
Earlier Senator Bahramand Khan Tangi of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians on his supplementary query to his question pertaining to audit of Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) raised his concerned over the reply provided by the Minister.
Senator Tangi said he had sought the details of audit of WAPDA whereas some 557 observations were raised in the audit report but no details pertaining to the nature of objections made and any action made against it. He regretted at the reply submitted in the house was not satisfactory and he also expressed dissatisfaction over the record.
The caretaker minister for Parliamentary Affairs said the Senator’s queries demanded details of audit accounts of WAPDA in the last year and its second part shed light on irregularities surfaced in the said audit report. “A total of 557 audit paras have been made under the report observations, out of which 402 have been discussed in the Departmental Audit Committee (DAC), 175 DAC directives have been complied with and 39 observations’ response was awaited, 179 replies to reaudit demands received, three DAC directives compliance was under process, compliance awaited from Water Resources Ministry on 5 observations and one para was settled and some 155 observations were yet to be discussed in the committee,” Solangi told the House.
