The formation of standing committees of the Senate has hit a snag due to stalemate between the government and opposition parties over the chairmanship of some important committees.
Sources told Daily Times that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) wants to make Sherry Rehman the chairperson of standing committee on foreign affairs and Saleem Mandviwalla to head standing committee on finance, besides seeking the chairmanship of standing committee on interior. On the other hand, the PML-N is also insisting on the chairmanship of the same standing committees, in addition to that of the standing committee on water and power.
The sources said the government is not ready to hand over chairmanship of these important standing committees to the opposition parties. Several meetings have been held between Leader of the House Shahzad Waseem and Leader of the Opposition in Senate Yousaf Raza Gilani, however those remained inconclusive.
During these talks, the government offered the PPP to take the standing committee on foreign affairs on the condition that it leaves the chairmanship of five others in favor of the treasury benches.
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