Chairmen Of Standing Committees Authorized To Take Suo Moto Notices: Speaker

Sumaira FH Published September 22, 2025 | 07:00 PM

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Sep, 2025) The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, Babar Saleem Swati, here Monday clarified that under the new rules and regulations, chairpersons of standing committees have been given the authority to take suo motu notice of issues.

He stated that in operations against encroachments where hotels or houses have been demolished, those who issued the No Objection Certificates for such buildings are the bigger culprits, and action should also be taken against them.

Such matters should be brought before the standing committee. The Speaker directed the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Local Government to take notice of the issue and initiate action against those who issued the NOCs.

During the provincial assembly session, Provincial Housing Minister Dr. Amjad Ali stated that after the floods, the Chief Secretary visited Swat and issued instructions to review buildings affected by encroachments and take action against them.

A press release from the Swat Deputy Commissioner claimed that the operation against encroachments was conducted under a Peshawar High Court ruling.

The provincial government respects judicial decisions; however, it would have been better if the government and relevant departments had been taken into confidence before the operation.

Swat and Hazara divisions are tourist areas where the local economy depends on tourism. Currently, hotels in Swat and Kalam are lying empty. Five hotels and one petrol pump were demolished during the operation. If it was a matter of building violations, then why were government representatives not consulted beforehand? The Standing Committee should take suo motu notice of this. If the NOCs for these hotels were issued in exchange for bribes, then those officers should be severely punished.

The Speaker further stated that those government officials who issued the NOCs must be held accountable and punished. He directed the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Local Government to take notice of it.