ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary committee Friday expressed serious concerns over what it termed judicial overreach into legislative affairs, underscoring that the judiciary should refrain from intervening in the workings of parliamentary committees. The Senate Standing Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges, chaired by Senator Waqar Mehdi, saw an intense debate over what the senators described as direct judicial interference in committee proceedings. Senator Saleem Mandviwalla, a member of the committee, led the criticism, asserting that courts had no jurisdiction over parliamentary matters. He recalled the Supreme Court’s consistent stance that legislative business should remain free from judicial interference and warned that compromising committee autonomy would undermine Parliament’s role as a key institution of public oversight. Echoing these concerns, Chairman Mehdi emphasised Parliament’s supremacy as the highest constitutional forum, stressing that its committees must be empowered to address public issues. However, he also made it clear that committees must refrain from discussing sub judice matters, drawing a line to prevent any constitutional overreach. Meanwhile, amid strong objections from Senator Sadia Abbasi, committee members overwhelmingly voted in favour of a controversial amendment to further strengthen parliamentary privileges, despite growing concerns that these privileges had already become excessive. Senator Abbasi cautioned that institutions must respect each other’s constitutional boundaries. The amendment was passed with the overwhelming support of the committee members. In a briefing to the panel, Rabia Anwar, a Senate official, went all out to justify the controversial amendment to the rules, aligning her arguments with the senators pushing for changes that best suited their interests, despite strong objections from Senator Abbasi. The committee also discussed a contentious issue at Quaid-e-Azam University, where 77 FIRs against students remain unwithdrawn, with police citing the QAU Vice Chancellor’s complaint as the reason they can’t withdraw them. Committee members noted the vice chancellor had previously promised to withdraw the FIRs but failed to do so, prompting a unanimous decision to summon him again for an explanation and update. The meeting also took up administrative lapses at the Capital Development Authority (CDA) following the misplacement of an official file. The civic body officials presented a court order sheet, stating regular attendance at court, but noted the petitioner’s failure to appear before the committee. Senator Abbasi condemned the incident as gross negligence, stressing that the CDA was solely responsible for safeguarding official records. The committee was informed that show-cause notices had been issued to the responsible staff and agreed to defer the matter until court proceedings were concluded. In a separate discussion, Senator Masroor Ahsan, a member of the panel, expressed frustration with the Ministry of National Food Security and Research for not responding to parliamentary queries. The federal secretary for the ministry apologised, citing technical issues, and assured the committee of improved responsiveness going forward. Similarly, a privilege motion raised by Senator Jam Saifullah Dharejo against the Secretary of Health Sindh was resolved after Dharejo accepted the secretary’s apology. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025