Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) on Tuesday handed over to Acting Senate Chairman Khalilur Rehman a 38-page booklet about the questions, resolutions and motions, 'killed' by the Secretariat.
PPPP Senator Farhatullah Babar met the acting chairman here at his chamber in the Parliament House and presented the booklet to him.
He expressed the hope that the acting chairman, after reviewing the document, might allow the Secretariat to take up some questions and other items on the agenda. Opposition senators are given time to raise their points of order with liberty by Khalilur Rehman and they see him more 'courteous' than Senate Chairman Mohammedmian Soomro, who is serving as acting president in the absence of President Pervez Musharraf.
"The acting chairman assured me that he will review the booklet, after I met him and drew his attention towards the "killing spree" of the opposition's items, tagging them as very sensitive," Senator Babar told Business Recorder.
To a question, he said that other opposition parties might separately submit the list of their items not entertained and killed in the Secretariat. However, he added he received two questions from Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) Senator Professor Ghafoor Ahmed.
He said that the Secretariat or the chairman's chamber had no authority to 'kill' items without providing the member (s) the reasons thereon.
He made it clear that the Supreme Court in its verdict had stated that reasons would have to be explained if despite discretionary powers, an authority did not exercise them.
"Even if a resolution, question or motion, pertaining to sensitive matter or interest, can't be dealt in the House this could be taken up in in-camera session," he said.
The senator had filed amendments to curtail powers of the chamber, but the same was also 'killed' before it could have reached the Senate floor.
The senators of opposition parties from time to time have been raising the issue on the floor of the House, questioning the reason behind 'killing' of their items, saying these involved making public sensitive information and facts.