Islamabad — A Senate sub-committee meeting scheduled to review matters relating to the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) was deferred on Tuesday after the absence of the federal minister and minister of state for religious affairs prompted concerns over the seriousness of official engagement.
The meeting of the Sub-Committee of the Senate Functional Committee on Problems of Less Developed Areas, held at Parliament House under the convenership of Dinesh Kumar, was convened to examine ETPB-related issues, including revenue collection, expenditure mechanisms, governing policies, and details of the board’s assets.
Agenda deferred in protest
Committee members expressed strong reservations over the absence of the Ministry of Religious Affairs leadership, noting that meaningful deliberations were not possible without ministerial participation. Senator Nadeem Bhutto, a committee member, also pointed out that the ministers had failed to attend the previous meeting despite prior notice.
The convener announced that the agenda was being deferred as a mark of protest and warned that continued non-attendance by the concerned quarters would result in the matter being raised before the Chairman Senate and referred to the Privileges Committee.
Demand for detailed ETPB data
The committee decided that, in the next meeting, it would seek complete province-wise details of ETPB properties, along with comprehensive information on income and expenditures. Members also took serious notice of the failure to provide working papers at least 48 hours before the meeting, as required under parliamentary rules, describing the lapse as an obstacle to effective oversight.
Relevant departments were directed to ensure the timely submission of working papers in future to facilitate proper review and accountability.
During the meeting, the secretary of the Ministry of Religious Affairs informed the committee that the federal minister had recently undergone surgery and was therefore unable to attend.
The meeting concluded with the formal deferral of the agenda, with the committee deciding that all pending matters related to the Evacuee Trust Property Board would be taken up for detailed consideration in the next session. The chairman of ETPB participated in the meeting online, while other concerned officials were also in attendance.
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