The Sindh Assembly's privilege committee continues to remain unattended by its seven members since its inception around three years ago. According to assembly sources, the privilege committee was formed in April 2009 with a view to taking decisions on key privilege motions, which the provincial legislators table regularly at sessions.
A meeting of lawmakers was scheduled on Thursday to choose chairman of the committee but the lack of quorum hit the progress. The sources said the committee continued facing non-serious attitude of the nominated members, who never appeared to participate in the committee's activities, which remained ineffective ever since. "The committee is dysfunctional since its inception while the members have yet to nominate a chairman to lead its proceedings and start decision making process," they pointed out.
Out of seven members including Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) lawmakers Faseeh Shah and Javed Shah and Pakistan Muslim League Functional's (PLM-F) lady legislator Syeda Marvi Rashdi appeared. Those who failed to participate in the maiden meeting of privilege committee were PPP's lawmaker, Ghulam Mujadid Isran and Rukhsana Shah, MQM's legislators Khalid Ahmed and Muqim Alam.
The absence of four members caused postponement of the privilege committee's first meeting, the sources said, adding, "the meeting was scheduled to choose chairman out of seven members". It may be mentioned here that Sindh Speaker, Nisar Khohro had referred a privilege motion to the same committee to take decision on some issue. The motion was presented during Wednesday's assembly session by PML-F's Syed Marvi Rashdi.
The sources said that every motion was now unlikely to be picked up by the committee because it had no head to make decisions on motions. The committee would have to call explanation from Secretary Sindh Education Department for not replying to phone call of Rashdi. The committee would present its report during next session.