| Submit your comments on this article |
| India-Pakistan |
| PML-N promises to abolish 'unnecessary' ministries next month |
| 2013-05-24 |
| [Pak Daily Times] All the unnecessary ministries in the centre will be abolished after June 3, Pakistain Moslem League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Malik Rafiq Rajwana told the Senate Standing Committee on National Regulations & Services on Wednesday. The National Regulations & Services (NRS) should be the first one to be eliminated, Muttahida Qaumi Movement ...English: United National Movement, generally known as MQM, is the 3rd largest political party and the largest secular political party in Pakistain with particular strength in Sindh. From 1992 to 1999, the MQM was the target of the Pak Army's Operation Cleanup leaving thousands of urdu speaking civilians dead... (MQM)'s Senator Abdul Haseeb Khan said in the committee, chaired by PML-N Senator Syed Zafar Ali Shah at Parliament House. It may be recalled that NRS was created after 18th constitutional amendment when various subjects were devolved to the provinces. The committee held its meeting to review the affairs related to policy on revision of drug prices in the country. Abdul Haseeb Khan pointed out that bureaucracy has been deceiving the parliamentarians on drug prices and parliamentarians are being defamed for their misdeeds. "This committee directed the officials to fix the drug prices but they committed massive corruption by using the name of parliamentarians in this regard," Khan told the committee. He said if the recommendations of the committee were acted upon, the poor people would not have been compelled to spend Rs.20 billion on excessive prices of drugs. The committee was told that the concerned ministry could not devise a formula to revise the drug prices and could not even constitute policy board on it as per the constitution. The policy board is comprised of technocrats and technical people but it has been filled with the blue-eyed boys by flouting the relevant rules and procedures, MQM's senator informed the committee. It was pointed out that there are 450 drug manufacturing companies operating in the country and out of these 200 are carrying out operations with the support of bureaucracy. Committee members also expressed annoyance over conduct of Pakistain Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association chairman for writing letter to Chairman Senate Nayyer Hussain Bokhari that Senator Abdul Haseeb Khan got the prices of drugs raised for his personal interests. Committee decided to move a privilege motion against Chairman of PPMA for his misconduct. Secretary Ministry National Regulations & Services clarified that Abdul Haseeb Khan never used his influence to raise the drug prices. He told the committee the cases of 37 companies which jacked up the prices of drugs are under investigation by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). Senators Farah Aqil, Almas Perveen, Farhat Abbas, Suriya Ameeruddin, Khalida Perveen, Rafiq Rajwana, Heman Das, Dr. Karim Khawja and officials of NRS ministry attended the meeting. |
| Posted by:Fred |