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ISLAMABAD: A heated session of the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology ended in controversy as Federal Minister Shaza Fatima walked out of the meeting following a dispute over committee rules.
The session took an unexpected turn when the Deputy Secretary of Information Technology was accused of providing misleading information to the minister regarding the committee’s operating procedures. This miscommunication sparked immediate backlash from committee members, leading to the official’s expulsion from the meeting. The Chairperson further announced that a formal motion against the Deputy Secretary would soon be initiated.
Shaza Fatima reportedly exited the meeting after realizing that the information she had been given was incorrect. Later, the minister issued an apology to the committee, which the Chairperson accepted with the caveat that failure to do so could have resulted in the matter being formally documented in the meeting’s minutes. The misstep raised concerns about internal coordination within the ministry and the credibility of information provided to government officials.
The dispute soon extended beyond procedural matters, with Shaza Fatima questioning the legitimacy of inviting political party representatives to the committee meeting. She emphasized that parliamentary committees are not open forums for public or partisan participation. Senator Palwasha Khan, however, countered that any citizen or stakeholder has the right to attend, reinforcing the importance of transparency and broader engagement in legislative proceedings. This disagreement underscored the ongoing struggle between maintaining strict parliamentary protocols and ensuring inclusive decision-making.
The fallout from the meeting has sparked discussions about the need for clearer procedural guidelines and greater accountability within the ministry. The Deputy Secretary’s misstatement has led to calls for disciplinary action, while the debate over committee participation could prompt a reevaluation of how open Senate sessions should be to external stakeholders. As the controversy unfolds, political observers anticipate further scrutiny of the ministry’s internal operations and the potential for procedural reforms in the coming weeks.
