In a step forward move on the devolution process under the 18th Amendment, five federal ministers and seven chairmen of the various standing committees of National Assembly and Senate will cease to work in next two weeks, it is learnt here Saturday.
Sources told Business Recorder that five federal ministers, including Minister for Population Welfare Dr Firdaus Ashiq Awan, Minister for Special Initiatives Lal Mohammad Khan, Minister for Youth Affairs Shahid Hussain Bhutto, Minister for Zakat and Ushr Noor-ul-Haq Qadri and Minister of State for Local Government and Rural Development Masood Abbas will quit as ministers in next two weeks as these ministries would be shifted to provinces under the 18th Amendment. With this, the number of the federal cabinet will also be reduced, the sources added.
It is pertinent to mention that the office of the Federal Minister for Local Government and Rural Development was already lying vacant after the sad demise of former Justice Abdul Razzaq Thaheem, who was heading the ministry.
Similarly, the sources said that seven standing committees of both Senate and National Assemblies on these ministries will also be abolished with the transfer of their relevant ministries to the provinces hence their chairmen and members of the committees will also dysfunctional in the coming two weeks, bringing a sigh of relief to the exchequer in terms of heavy spending.
The chairmen of the committees of the National Assembly ceased to exist include Chairman Standing Committee on Population Welfare Mohammad Hanif Abbasi, Chairman Standing Committee on Zakat and Ushr Khawaja Mohammad Sheraz, chairman Standing Committee on Special Initiatives Engineer Usman Khan Tarakai, chairman Standing Committee on Youth Affairs Sher Mohammad Baloch and chairman Standing Committee on Local Government and Rural Development Haji Rozuddin Khan.
While the chairmen of the standing committees of Senate include chairperson of Standing Committee on Population Welfare Simeen Siddiqui and chairman Standing Committee on Local Governments Dr Khalid Soomro.
The sources said that five more ministries will be transferred to the provinces till December 2010 and the devolution process will be completed till June 2011 as Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani had directed the Implementation Commission on the 18th Amendment headed by Mian Raza Rabbani to finalise the task by the deadline.
The sources said ministries, which already exist in the provinces, will be abolished in the Centre while the rest will be devaluated to the provinces. The sources further said that the federal employees working in various ministries and their attached departments planned to be shifted to the provinces under the devolution process, will be offered an opportunity to opt either for mutual transfer, deputation or the golden handshake.