Chairman Senate Raza Rabbani on Thursday directed the cabinet secretary to place summary on withdrawal of initial summary on conversion of leased 1,400 acres of land at the disposal of National Agriculture Research Centre (NARC) on the agenda of the next cabinet meeting and the House be informed accordingly.
Reading out directions, Rabbani noted that the Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges had held a number of meetings on that motion but could not finalize the same as CADD Division has informed that the summary for withdrawal of the initial summary was lying with Cabinet Division for presentation before the Cabinet for approval. He said the directions should be communicated to the cabinet secretary.
The House has indulged the government sufficiently in this matter as every now and then, the Committee on Privileges has deferred the matter and given an ample time to the government to have the summary approved by the Cabinet. "As that is not forthcoming, therefore, I am constraint to direct the Cabinet secretary to place the summary on the agenda of the next meeting of the Cabinet and the house be informed accordingly," he said.
The matter is also seized before the Supreme Court of Pakistan where on the last date of hearing, the counsel for the CDA had sought time and the matter is now fixed for a date in office. The possession of the land continues to be with the NARC. PML-Q Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed had moved an adjournment motion in the House regarding conversion of 1,400 acres of land leased out to NARC into residential and commercial plots on 4th August, 2015. After discussion on the adjournment motion, the matter was referred to the Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research with the directions to submit a report within a period of one month.
The Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research considered the issue and presented its very comprehensive report in the House on 7th of October, 2015. The report of the committee was considered and adopted by the house in terms of Rule 196 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate, 2012 on 11-11-2015.
In accordance with the provisions of sub-rule (3) of Rule 196 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate, 2012, the decision of the House was communicated to the ministry concerned including the chairman CDA on 16-11-2015. The quarters concerned neither implemented the recommendations of the committee adopted by the House nor informed the House of the reasons for not implementing the recommendations in terms of sub-Rule (3) of Rule 196 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate, 2012 and thus the recommendations became binding on the government.
Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah, chairman of the said standing committee, moved a privileged motion in the House on 21st December, 2016 for not implementing the recommendations of the House which was admitted and referred to the Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges. Earlier, Shah presented the 17th follow-up report of the committee regarding the matter in the House.