ISLAMABAD, Apr 7 (APP):The Speaker and Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) on Friday expressed their resentment over not submitting replies against the queries of the members of the Lower House by the Power Division.
During the question hour session of the National Assembly’s 51st meeting MNA, Sheikh Fayyaz Ud Din of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) told the House that there were some ten queries in the questions whose answers were not received from the Power Division.
On his turn, he turned up and responded to the Speaker that neither he nor answers to his reply was presented in the session.
Speaker, Raja Pervez Ashraf directed the Parliamentary Secretary for Energy (Power Division), Rana Iradat Sharif Khan to brief the House on the matter. He added that the members used to prepare questions with great effort and it was the contempt of the House.
The Speaker on finding the Minister for Energy being absent asked the Parliamentary Secretary to contact him and ask him to attend the session.
The Parliamentary Secretary for Power on his reply asked the Speaker to direct the Ministry to give prompt responses to the queries of the MNAs.
MNA, Ghous Bux Khan Mahar of Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) also decried the power division for not sending reply to his query that was being deferred since 47th session of the House.
Speaker, Raja Pervez Ashraf also asked the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs to brief the House on the matter.
Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Murtaza Javed Abbasi apprised the House that the Minister for Energy was out of town and the Secretary Power Division had a sudden death at his home due to which he had sent a request to the Speaker for deferment of the questions related to his Division.
However, the Speaker deferred the questions pertaining to Power Division to the next Rota day.
MNA, Saira Bano of GDA in a supplementary question to her query said the Pakistani oil refineries were old fashioned and its petroleum products were not of the international standards whereas the country had also become self-sufficient in Iranian oil.
She queried that these refineries were unable to refine the oil imported from Russia. When the Power Division is going to upgrade them?
However, the Parliamentary Secretary requested that the question pertain to the Petroleum Division and would be answered in the next Rota day.
