ISLAMABAD  -   National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser has formed 13-member committee of parliamentary leaders to oversee and examine the matters relating to conduct of members as per rules and maintain a conducive environment in the National Assembly proceedings.

The 13-member multi-party committee will comprise parliamentary leaders in the National Assembly including Leader of the House/Prime Minister Imran Khan, opposition leader /PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif and PPP-P Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari.

Sources said the purpose of constituting the committee is to maintain conducive environment during the National Assembly proceedings. As, the proceedings of the lower house have been facing rumpus for some months.

The 7th session of the National Assembly, sources said, was prorogued abruptly without passing the mini-budget presented by Minister for Finance Asad Umar. The committee will start its working before the start of upcoming National Assembly session, likely to be summoned by the second week of February.

The government side had faced a stiff resistance introducing the mini-budget and in response Minister for Communication Murad Saeed strongly criticised the leadership of opposition parties, inviting hullabaloo in the house.

According to the notification, the speaker constituted the committee in pursuance of motion adopted by the National Assembly under the rule 244(B) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007. The committee will work under the chairmanship of the Speaker Asad Qaiser.

The terms of reference of the committee say that it shall examine complaints concerning the alleged breach of Code of Conduct by Members.

“The Committee shall oversee, take note of and examine the matters relating to Conduct of Members as per rules and practices and make proposals to the Assembly as and when required,” according to the ToRs.

This committee will examine complaints concerning the alleged breach of the Code of Conduct by Members. This committee will not take up any matter or complaint merely based on unsubstantial media report or any other matter which is subjudice in a Court of Law.

The Committee will also present its reports to the House including quarterly periodical reports on overall conduct of Members. This committee will also make rules to regulate its procedure.

With three bigwigs (Imran Khan, Shahbaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari), the committee will comprise Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Minister for Housing and Works Chaudhary Tariq Bashir Cheema, Minister for Information Technology (IT) and Telecommunication Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and MNAs Asad Mehmood, Khalid Hussain Magsi, Muhammad Akhtar Mengal, Ghous Bux Khan Mahar, Nawabzada Shah Zain Bugti and Amir Haider Azam Khan.

Political pundits assume that both the main members of the committee including leader of the house Imran Khan and PPP-P Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari were not regularly attending the proceedings. They also may not able to attend every proceedings of the committee’s meeting.