AAMIR SAEED

ISLAMABAD: Members of National Assembly Friday complained about absence of secretaries and other relevant government officials from the gallery and demanded their (MNAs’) role in promotion of the bureaucrats.

Speaking on a point of order, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MNA Capt Mohammad Safdar (retd) urged the Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi to make sure that officers of grade-22 are present in the National Assembly gallery during the proceedings of the House. He said that Secretary to Prime Minister Fawad Hassan should also be present in the gallery during proceedings of the Lower House, so that the members could convey their grievances and problems to him.

Safdar said the tenure of this government is about to come to an end but genuine issues of the parliamentarians are still to be resolved. “The government must seek feedback of the public representatives before promotion of the bureaucrats,” he said, adding that only intelligent and honest officers should be promoted to next grades.

During his speech, members from both sides of the aisle thumped their desks and urged the Deputy Speaker to give a ruling on the issue.

Another PML-N member Najaf Abbas Sial said that a committee of the Parliament should be constituted to look into promotions and conduct of the bureaucrats. “If a bureaucrat fails to give respect to parliamentarians or doesn’t return their telephone calls, he/she must be sacked,” he added. Sial said the parliamentarians keep visiting offices of the secretaries to get genuine issues of their electorates resolved, but all in vain. He also urged the Deputy Speaker to look into the issue and give a ruling on it.

Responding to these points, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Shaikh Aftab admitted that MNAs are facing problems in getting their genuine issues resolved, but said that both the bureaucrats and ministers are responsible for it. He however said that promotion of the bureaucrats is done under prescribed criteria and the Prime Minister gives final nod to all promotions. If MNAs want their role in the promotion of bureaucrats, amendments in the prescribed legislation need to be introduced, he added. He said that at least the officers of joint secretary level should be present in the gallery of National Assembly during proceedings of the House.

Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi, however, said that a process is already in practice for promotion of the government officers and if the legislators want an amendment in it then fresh legislation will have to be made.