Senators table motion seeking redressal for breach of privilege

Islamabad: The two members of the Upper House of the Parliament on Monday tabled a separate motion seeking redressal for breach of their privileges due to poor conduct of the public officials.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Senator Dost Muhammad Khan tabled the first privilege motion stating manhandling of his party workers, and himself, during a party workers meeting held in a local ground in Tank area of South Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Senator Dost Muhammad Khan condemned the act of the Tank and Upper South Waziristan police personnel.  In a motion, he stated that the District Police Officer ordered him (senator) to reach his office but, the Police officer was not present there. Whereas, the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) kept the senator waiting in the cold weather outside of his office for hours.

The senator said that he contracted bronchitis due to a severe cold and got ill. The senator also contacted the Inspector General of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police, the Regional Police Officer (RPO) and the DPO but they didn’t attend the call.

He (senator), urged the Chairman Senate to refer the matter to the Privilege Committee of the Upper House. The IG KP, RPO Dera Ismail Khan, DPOs of Tank and Upper Waziristan and the DSP Tank should be called to hold them accountable on this matter.

Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani referred the matter to the privilege committee.

In the second motion, Senator Syed Waqar Mehdi of Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarian (PPPP) moved his privilege motion against senior Member Board of Revenue Sindh who refused to respond to him after repeated calls and expressed a humiliating response to his request on a matter of public interest pertaining to an Anti-Encroachment Force Sindh’s sepoy.

The senator in his privilege motion stated that Member Board of Revenue Sindh, Zahid Ali Abbasi refused to contact him (senator), and turned down his repeated calls.

While reading out his motion loudly, he said, “This attitude of the incumbent was quite humiliating and a breach of privilege but not of the undersigned but of this Upper House.”

He requested the chairman to take up the motion and refer it to the Privilege Committee, which the Chairman Senate referred to the relevant forum.