The joint opposition staged a token walkout from the Senate on Friday in protest against ignoring officers belonging to Sindh and Balochistan in appointments of trade officers abroad. Senator Jehanzeb Jamaldini of BNP-Mengal who sits on treasury benches walked out of the House during Question Hour, followed by senators belonging to other opposition political parties including some members of treasury benches.
The House was informed that a total of 42 trade officers (commercial secretaries) had been posted in various embassies and high commissions abroad and of these 28 are from Punjab, seven from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, five from Sindh, two from AJK and none from Balochistan.
Earlier, the senators questioned the performance of these officers, as Pakistan's exports continue to decline while they are enjoying hefty salaries along with their spouses at the expense of the taxpayers' money. State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan said that there is no quota as such and trade officers were appointed abroad on the basis of their ability and performance.
He explained that seven officers had been recalled for their below average performance while another two had been issued warning. He noted that their performance is constantly being examined under key performance indicators, approved by the Prime Minister, adding that the trade officers need to further improve their performance.
Replying to another question, Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Azam Swati said that Pakistan Telecommunication Authority along with Frequency Allocation Board checked the power level of base trans-receiver towers in accordance with the regulations and so far five surveys had been conducted in 36 cities wherein 2,429 towers had been checked and prescribed limits were being observed and hence nothing was found to be harmful to human health.
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