Fake domicile holders from Balochistan: Panel concerned at verification process

ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel on Tuesday expressed resentment over the lack of responses from various federal government departments on verification of "fake" domiciles holders from Balochistan to have got jobs in departments under the federal government.

A meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat was held at the Parliament House under the chairmanship of Senator Talha Mahmood. The meeting discussed in detail the Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution (Amendment) Bill, 2020 introduced by Raza Rabbani in the Senate session on September 2, 2019, and the issue raised by Senator Mir Kabir Ahmed Mohammad Shahi of public importance in the Senate session on June 10, 2020, about verification of domiciles of employees of the departments under the federal government belonging to Balochistan, Senator Waleed Iqbal's issue of public importance raised in the Senate session on March 4, 2020, about de-classification of the draft Constitution of 1954, and the public petition referred to by the chairman Senate.

On the verification of the domiciles, Senator Mir Kabir Ahmad Mohammad Shahi said that a unanimous resolution was passed in the Senate on January 9, 2017, to verify the domiciles of employees belonging to Balochistan province in the departments under the federal government but no action was taken so far.

He said that the committee should be informed about the number of domiciles sent to Balochistan for verification and its report. He said that the answer provided in the working paper was something else, while the question was something else. He said that the rights of the people of Balochistan were being violated in other matters besides jobs. He said that people had also got jobs in Balochistan institutions on fake domiciles.

Out of 1,200 employees in Mastung district alone, he added that 400 domiciles were fake, adding that 60 percent of the people in all departments were working on fake domiciles. While responding, Special Secretary Establishment Division Dr Masood Akhtar said that letters had been written to all the federal agencies on August 28, 2020 but no reply had been received so far.

On this, the chairman of the committee, while expressing strong anger, stated that it was a matter of utmost importance that a unanimous resolution and recommendations were sent in 2017, and letters were written several times regarding implementation but no reply was provided.

Senator Mir Kabir said that the domiciles of the employees from Balochistan in the federal government's departments should be sent to the concerned deputy commissioners for verification, and reply should be sought within a stipulated time period.

The Committee also summoned the chief secretary Balochistan, chief secretary Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, chief secretary Gilgit-Baltistan, Secretary Law and Justice in its next meeting, and also sought a progress report from the Establishment Division within a week.

The Committee also reviewed in detail the issue of de-classification of the draft constitution of 1954, a matter of public importance raised by Senator Waleed Iqbal in the Senate session on March 4, 2020. He said that the first Constituent Assembly of Pakistan was working on a draft constitution, which included very important politicians.

He said that a draft was prepared in 1954 but was declared a secret document due to the dissolution of the Assembly. He said that the nation should know what law the country's first Constituent Assembly was going to make for the people of Pakistan, which was a matter of utmost importance.

The committee said that the Cabinet Division had responded to the panel that the matter did not come under its domain, but it was related to the Ministry of Law and Justice. Additional Secretary Cabinet Division, however, told the committee that it would be informed within a week after receiving the report from the National Archives.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020