ISLAMABAD:
The Senate Functional Committee on Devolution on Monday expressed concern over what it termed a failure to implement provinces’ constitutional rights and powers under the 18th Amendment.
The panel met under the chairmanship of Senator Zamir Hussain Ghumro, a statement said.
The committee was briefed about the implementation status of various provisions of the 18th Constitutional Amendment, as well as on the resources, budget, and staff of the Ministry of Petroleum, including its corporations and attached departments.
Officials of the Council of Common Interests (CCI), the secretary of the Ministry of Energy (Petroleum Division), and representatives of other relevant ministries attended the meeting.
The committee expressed serious concerns over the failure to grant provinces their constitutional rights and powers under the 18th Constitutional Amendment.
Senator Ghumro said the cabinet and the CCI were accountable to parliament, adding that the CCI remained largely inactive.
He emphasized that the CCI must improve its performance and noted that although equal provincial representation exists in the Constitution, however, equal representation is still missing.
CCI’s functions are being carried out through some other forum, which is against the spirit of the Constitution, he said.
Ghumro questioned whether the CCI believed it had no authority over constitutionally established institutions.
Officials responded that they were appearing only on behalf of the Secretariat.
Ghumro directed the CCI officials to formulate and submit, at the earliest, a proper mechanism for the institution so that appropriate recruitments could be made, enabling the CCI to effectively perform its supervisory role regarding provincial rights. He stressed that no negligence concerning provincial rights would be tolerated.
