Islamabad:
The Minister of State for Religious Affairs and Interconfessional Harmony Kesoo Mal Kheal Das revealed on Friday in the National Assembly that he had not received any briefing on the issues related to Hajj by his ministry, shocking the legislators during the session of questions.
This prompted Vice-President Ghumlam Mustafa Shah to seek an explanation on Monday, ordering the Minister to officially ask why he was not informed.
Kheal Das, which belongs to the Hindu community, expressed its disappointment with regard to the Assembly, declaring that the Ministry of Religious Affairs did not consider it “worthy” of being informed of the Hajj operation.
“I apologize for not answering the questions related to Hajj and the Ministry,” said the Minister of State while assuring the public that he would fulfill his responsibilities by responding to their concerns.
Vice-president Shah reprimanded the Secretary for Religious Affairs for not having taken the Parliament seriously, ordering the Minister to obtain detailed information from his ministry. “As Minister of State, you are responsible for answering questions related to your ministry,” said Shah, asking Kheal Das to ask the ministry in writing why he was not informed.
The vice-president warned against strict measures against the secretary and other officials if a satisfactory response had not been provided on Monday, adding that formal instructions would also be issued by the Secretariat of the National Assembly to ensure compliance.
Controlling excuses for not being able to answer questions, Kheal Das said he had already transmitted to his Ministry officials that he had received the portfolio of the Minister of State for Religious Affairs by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, saying that he was fully responsible for answering all questions in the House.
“My priority will be to attend the Parliament and answer questions,” said Kheal Das, asking the vice-president to postpone the questions until he obtained a briefing on the questions raised in the Assembly. “It should be conceived that he [Kheal Das] is a Hindu and cannot answer questions related to religious affairs, “he said on the floor of the house.
“Although he is Hindu, I make sure that it is my duty to answer these questions,” he said, adding that he would perform his duties as a minister to facilitate people in Hajj’s operations. During his interaction with the vice-president, Kheal Das revealed that the Minister of Religious Affairs and Interconfessional Harmony Sardar Muhammad Yousaf had gone to play Omra.
