'Veena could pull in ministers to Senate'

The veteran politician shocked all and sundry with his sarcasm, reflecting on reality about most of our MPs, that perhaps Veena Malik’s presence in the Senate would ensure ministers’ presence.Let’s make Veena Malik a senator or a deputy chairman to ensure that ministers show up, he said on the floor of the august Upper House of Parliament.Mushahidullah said that all tactics in the book have proven unsuccessful. He said neither the Prime Minister nor federal ministers attended the Senate sessions.Online adds: Absence of the ministers from the Senate session Wednesday offended the Senators who demanded that secretaries along with lower staff should be sacked for not paying due regard towards the House.The members also criticised Akram Masih Gill, State Minister on National Harmony, for failing to answer questions pertaining to State Life Insurance Corporation and consequently the questions were deferred. Ministers’ non-presence in the House also forced the chair to defer the proceedings of the entire Question Hour for next working day.Being dissatisfied with the information provided by Akram Masih Gill on a question about investment as well as difference between returns and interests of State Life Insurance Corporation, Jamaat-e-Islami Senator Professor Khurshid Ahmad raised the point that the respondent was not well prepared on the subject so the concerned Minister Commerce Makhdoom Amin Fahim should be asked to answer the questions related to his ministry.MQM Senator, Col (r) Tahir Hussain Mashhadi, endorsed by Professor Khurshid Ahmad, protested that only 3 out of total 11 questions had been answered while replies of eight questions had not been furnished before the House.He added that the ministers had gone to Murree for merry making while secretaries along with their staff had been busy in pastimes, neglecting their basic obligations and duties and it was sheer disrespect and disregard of the House so all should be sacked for committing criminal negligence towards their professional duties.Deputy Chairman Mir Jan Muhammad Jamali asked Nayyar Hussain Bokhari, Leader of the House, to move for deferment of ‘Question Hour’ proceedings as well as give a commitment to convey the concerns of the House to the Minister and to take up the matter with the Prime Minister.Jamali was of the view that the ministers’ indifference towards the proceeding of the House was not earning good repute for the democratic government.Nayyar Bokhari assured the House that matter would be taken up with the Prime Minister as well as concern of the members would be conveyed to the Ministers.