5 ministries, divisions cease to exist
ISLAMABAD – Consequent upon the deliberations of the Implementation Commission, constituted under clause (9) of Article 270AA of the Constitution and with the approval of the Cabinet, five federal ministries and divisions will cease to exist with immediate effect.
According to a notification of Cabinet Division, the functions of these ministries included Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Livestock and Dairy Development, Ministry of Social Welfare and Special Education and Ministry of Tourism being retained at the federal level will stand relocated.
Abrar Saeed adds: The Implementation Commission on 18th Amendment has now taken up the task of devolving the rest of the ministries to be handed over to the provinces and Chairman of the Commission Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination, Senator Mian Raza Rabbani, has minced no words while saying that the process of devolution would be completed by June-end.
The commission would now take up the ministries of health, environment, information technology, textile, industries and production, minorities affairs, science and technology, narcotics control, as the subjects went into jurisdiction of provinces following the abolition of the Concurrent List from the Constitution.
Sources in the Implementation Commission commenting on the hue and cry being raised by certain quarters regarding the devolution of the Higher Education Commission and other matters relating to ministries of education, culture and tourism said that they could not bring any change in the devolution plan and their jurisdiction is just implementation on the subjects fully given to the provinces under the 18th Amendment.
These sources further said that still they have provided a forum of Council of Common Interest for debate and discussion to all those who have concerns regarding the handing over of these ministries to the provinces and the contentious matters could be debated at that forum.
The sources said that their was a lot of pressure on them from various quarters on the devolution of certain departments and autonomous bodies but they could not help as they could not deviate from what had been given in the 18th Amendment.
To a question about the complexities associated with the devolution of Ministry of Health the sources said that they would sort out these issues like they did in the case of education and other ministries already devolved to the provinces in first and second phase.
The Implementation Commission had already devolved some 10 ministries to the provinces in two phases and almost all the matters relating to these ministries were almost sorted out with a few irritants, which would also be dealt with in due course of time.
In first phase, the ministries of population welfare, special initiatives, Zakat and Ushr, youth affairs and local bodies and rural development were devolved while in the second phase the ministries of education, tourism, social welfare and special education, culture and dairy and livestock were devolved.
With the devolution of the five ministries to the provinces in the second phase the standing committees of both the National Assembly and Senate dealing with these ministries also seized to function and so did their members and chairpersons.
Similarly the parliamentary secretaries relating to these five ministries also stand relieved of their responsibilities.
The parliamentarians who were relieved of their duties after the devolution of ministries in second phase included SM Zafar, Abid Sher Ali, Kalsoom Parveen, Nadim Ahsan, Nilofar Bakhtiar, Raza Hayat Haraj, Robina Sadat Qaimkhani, and Jam Yousaf.
The sources informed that with the formal notification of the Cabinet Division regarding the devolution of these ministries to the provinces the National Assembly Secretariat has also notified that the standing committees relating to these ministries also stand terminated.
Source: The Nation
Date:4/6/2011
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