When after months of scrapping, the opposition and government reached a compromise solution on the chairmanship of the National Assembly's influential Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that raised hopes in the same spirit the two sides would form the rest of the parliamentary committees, paving the way for proper functioning of parliament. But then again they seemed to be in discord as some in the Opposition accused the government of refusing to appoint opposition members as heads of 'important' committees. Good sense has finally prevailed, however. On Wednesday, the two sides announced having agreed on a compromise formula for the chairmanship of 38 standing committees of the National Assembly.
As per the formula, 20 committees are to be headed by the ruling PTI and remainder 18 by the Opposition. The formula has been cleverly devised giving little room for the opposition to cry foul. Since the Opposition had claimed the PAC chairmanship on the basis of a tradition rather than a legal prerogative, the 12 standing committees it gets to head are the same that were led by the Opposition under the last PML-N government, as well as six additional committees though they are yet to be named. The task must be accomplished as soon as possible. Already three months have been wasted in a needless standoff over the PAC position. Under the rules, NA Speaker Asad Qaiser was to form all parliamentary committees within 30 days following the election of the Leader of the House. That period ended on September 17. Now that the stalemate over the basic issues of contention has been broken, the two sides must act with a sense of responsibility in the greater interest of the democratic process. They should immediately focus on work for which they are in the nation's highest legislative forum.
Unfortunately, so far parliamentary proceedings have been marred by unsavoury squabbles. Those on the treasury benches have been acting as if they were still in the campaign mode. They have continuously been accusing major parliamentary parties' leaders of having looted and plundered public money, making the other side to react by staging walkouts. The PTI may have ridden to power on an anti-corruption plank, but it had also vowed to strengthen the various accountability institutions. At present, NAB, FIA and other relevant organisations are pursuing several alleged corruption cases and some of the high profile ones are being heard by the courts, there is no justification for the government to bring up the same cases in parliament. It must let the institutions do their job and get on with its own business, initiating necessary legislations in parliament and addressing myriad governance issues. The Opposition also ought to refrain from staging walkouts as far as possible and play its oversight and legislation role. Needless to say, democracy is as strong as is parliament.
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