Govt Fails to Reply to 18 Parliamentary Questions

Nadeem Tanoli

Islamabad: Concerns over ministerial accountability resurfaced in the National Assembly after 18 questions went unanswered during the 24th session held on February 11, spotlighting gaps in information-sharing between federal ministries and elected representatives.

Official records of the National Assembly Secretariat show that key queries directed at the Ministries of Information and Broadcasting, Interior and Defence were not responded to during the sitting.

The unanswered questions spanned sensitive areas including public advertising expenditure, land allotments, aviation sector performance and stalled development projects in Islamabad.

Ad Spending Data Withheld

Four starred questions addressed to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting — seeking a breakdown of government advertising expenditure over the past three fiscal years — received no reply.

Lawmakers, including Awais Haider Jakhar and Ali Muhammad, had sought details of funds allocated to television channels, print outlets and social media platforms, along with the names of media houses and individuals who benefited and the criteria used for distribution.

Syeda Shehla Raza also requested figures for total advertising spending in fiscal year 2024–25 and the mechanism governing allocations.

No financial data or distribution lists were presented during the session.

Safety Queries Pending

The Ministry of Interior also left multiple questions unanswered, including queries about delayed infrastructure projects in Islamabad.

Asif Khan had sought an explanation for the non-construction of the Jinnah Medical Complex and Danish University in Sector H-16 despite prior inauguration announcements.

Jam Abdul Karim Bijar raised safety concerns about an eroding nullah near Rizvia Mosque in G-8/1, warning of potential risks to residents. Another query regarding the establishment of a Rescue 1122 centre in Sector I-16 also remained pending.

Questions concerning land disputes in the Jammu and Kashmir Cooperative Housing Society, including possession matters in G-15/4, did not receive responses either.

Routine administrative matters were similarly left unaddressed, including the total number of passport offices nationwide and the qualifications and domiciles of Executive Magistrates serving in Islamabad Capital Territory.

Sensitive Defence Matters

The Ministry of Defence did not respond to several questions, including one raised by Fateh Ullah Khan regarding land allotments made between 2002 and 2008 in areas such as Rakh Miran and Rakh Mahira.

The query sought clarification on whether land had been allocated to civilians instead of heirs of martyrs and under what legal framework such decisions were taken.

Other unanswered questions related to the financial performance of private airlines over the past five years and proposed locations for new airports in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Accountability in Focus

While parliamentary rules allow deferred responses in subsequent sittings, the scale of unanswered questions in a single session has prompted debate over transparency and responsiveness within federal ministries.

Lawmakers argue that timely replies are essential for oversight, particularly on matters involving public funds, land allocation and development planning. The episode has reignited calls for stronger coordination mechanisms to ensure that ministries provide complete and prompt information to Parliament.

Whether the pending questions will be addressed in upcoming sessions remains to be seen, but the backlog has once again underscored the central role of parliamentary scrutiny in democratic governance.

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