Placement of regulatory authorities under line ministries violates ruling: Rabbani

Chairman Senate Mian Raza Rabbani has taken up the issue of placement of Regulatory Authorities under the administrative control of the line ministries.

In a letter to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Rabbani has conveyed that, “The Cabinet Secretariat's memorandum for placement of Regulatory Authorities under the line ministries is in violation of Ruling of the Chairman Senate as well as the orders of various High Courts in that matter.”

He vide his letter dated June 20, 2017 referring to Cabinet Secretariat's memorandum dated June 6, 2017 has said that the memorandum is in violation of the ruling dated February 21, 2017.

The ruling holds that, “The control of Regulatory Authorities cannot be transferred from one Ministry to another Ministry without obtaining prior approval from the Council of Common Interest (CCI), in terms of Article 154, Constitution, 1973.”

“Any attempt to bypass CCI in taking such policy decision is a constitutional violation affecting the rights of the federating units, hence against the spirit of participatory federalism and the scheme of the Constitution,” it says.

Chairman Senate has asked the Prime Minister to take the notice of the same as it cannot be the intent of the government to violate the Ruling of the Chair and also the orders of various High Courts in this regard.