Govt snags big committees usually given to opposition

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has bagged the chairpersonship of crucial Senate committees.

The Opposition does not have the chairpersonship of law and justice, interior and human rights committees anymore, Hasnaat Malik reported in The Express Tribune.

The chairpersonship of the Senate Committee on Human Rights was first offered to the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). However, instead of retaining it, the PPP passed it on to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

The opposition parties, either due to internal differences among themselves or backchannel understanding, have been unable to head committees wherein they could have given a tough time to the government in the upper house.https://t.co/MMqx5wcGBM https://t.co/h2hHjErPwf

— Hasnaat Malik (@HasnaatMalik) June 5, 2021

“The Opposition parties, either due to internal differences among themselves or backchannel understanding, have been unable to head committees wherein they could have given a tough time to the government in the upper house,” tweeted Hasnaat.

انسانی حقوق کی خلاف ورذیاں ہمارے ہاں روز کا معمول ہیں، اسکی سینٹ کمیٹی نشانہ بننے والوں کو تحفظ اور انصاف مہیا کرانے کا ایک ذریعہ ہے، افسوس ہے کہ مشاہد حسین سید نے اسکی سربراہی حکومت کو دے کر دفاع کی کمیٹی حاصل کر لی، اب متاثرین کی آہوں کے مجرم ہم بھی ہوں گے-

— Pervaiz Rashid (@SenPervaizRd) June 5, 2021

The PML-N nominated Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed as the chairman of the human rights committee. However, he bartered it with the government and instead became the head of the Standing Committee on Defence in return.

Instead of retaining Chairmanship of Human Rights Committee, PPP passed it on to the PML-N. The PML-N nominated Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed. However, he gave chairmanship to the government. یہ اپوزیشن پارٹیاں اچانک ہیومن رائٹس کمیٹی سے جان کیوں چھڑانا چاہ رہی ہیں؟ https://t.co/hFrQY9uaiY

— Adil Shahzeb (@adilshahzeb) June 5, 2021

Earlier, Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar from the PPP was the chairman of the Senate Committee of Human Rights. He took up several human rights issues, including attacks on journalists.

In a report by @HasnaatMalik, “the chairperson ship of the Senate Committee on Human Rights was first offered to the PPP. However instead of retaining it, the PPP passed it to the PMLN.

— Arifa Noor (@arifanoor72) June 5, 2021

Mustafa took to Twitter and wrote, “Top of the agenda items for the day was to clip the wings of the Human Rights Committee to turn it into a standing Committee from a funtional one.”

First working day of the Senate. Top of the agenda items for the day was to clip the wings of the HR committee. To turn it into a standing comm from a functional. Stood up and protested. Silence from the front rows was deafening! https://t.co/dmOZnDo1GV

— Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar (@mustafa_nawazk) June 5, 2021

The government has already modified the rules through the house and converted the functional committee on human rights into a standing committee, which has limited powers. The standing committee can only take up matters related to the human rights ministry.

FYI standing committee’s r dependant on the existence of a ministry(division). No ministry leads to no comm. HR ministry on few occasions in the past was merged with law. To avoid this @FarhatullahB & @a_siab led the effort to turn it into functional. So that HR com never ceases. https://t.co/VanCuYV82z

— Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar (@mustafa_nawazk) June 5, 2021