Islamabad, January 5, 2026: A meeting of the Sub-Committee of the Senate Functional Committee on Problems of Less Developed Areas was held at Parliament House on Monday under the convenership of Senator Dinesh Kumar to review matters related to the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB).
The agenda included examination of ETPB’s revenue collection, expenditure mechanisms, relevant policies, and details of the Board’s assets. However, the Committee expressed serious concern over the absence of the Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and the Minister of State for Religious Affairs.
In protest, the Committee decided to defer the agenda. Convener Senator Dinesh Kumar, along with Committee Member Senator Nadeem Bhutto, observed that meaningful discussion and decision-making were not possible without the presence of the concerned ministers. It was also noted that the ministers had failed to attend the previous meeting, despite the importance of ministerial-level participation for effective deliberations.
The Convener stated that the agenda was being deferred as a mark of protest and warned that if the concerned quarters failed to attend the next meeting, the matter would be raised before the Chairman Senate and referred to the Privileges Committee.
The Committee decided that in the next meeting it would seek complete province-wise details of ETPB properties, including income and expenditures. It also took serious notice of the failure to provide working papers at least 48 hours prior to meetings, as required under the rules, directing the concerned departments to ensure timely submission in the future.
During the meeting, the Secretary of the Ministry of Religious Affairs informed the Committee that the Federal Minister for Religious Affairs had recently undergone surgery and was therefore unable to attend.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the Committee formally deferred the agenda in protest, deciding that all pending matters would be taken up for detailed consideration in the next session.
The meeting was attended by Senator Nadeem Bhutto, the Secretary of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, and other relevant officials, while the Chairman of the Evacuee Trust Property Board participated online.
