Parliament Dissolves NIRM Sub-Committee Amid Heated Row, Orders Full In-Camera Inquiry
Nadeem Tanoli
Islamabad: A parliamentary sub-committee investigating serious complaints against the National Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine (NIRM) and its director, Dr. Mazhar, was formally dissolved after a heated dispute erupted during proceedings. The move came following accusations from the primary complainant, Dr. Nisar, that he was deliberately sidelined from the investigation process. The matter will now be taken up in a full in-camera session of the main standing committee, with all relevant stakeholders summoned to reach a final resolution.
The controversy escalated when Dr. Nisar, referred to as the “mover” or appellant in the session, alleged that the sub-committee formed at his request had completely excluded him. According to him, the committee conducted a visit to NIRM and met with the opposing party without ever hearing his concerns or considering his evidence. “You removed the mover and chose your own person,” he charged, arguing that a fair investigation could not proceed without the complainant’s perspective.
Defending their actions, female members of the sub-committee firmly rejected the accusation, asserting that they had followed proper procedures and that Dr. Nisar’s claims were an attack on their integrity. The members also highlighted that this was the third committee constituted on the matter, with previous ones failing due to similar concerns about impartiality and credibility. The growing mistrust, they argued, had become a recurring obstacle.
The procedural disagreement deepened, with Dr. Nisar insisting that the investigation had no legitimacy without first identifying specific complaints to probe—something only the appellant could provide. Some committee members countered that an investigative body could proceed independently once it had been formed, but this failed to convince Dr. Nisar, who maintained that the process had been compromised from the start.
Amid the breakdown in decorum, the Chairman of the standing committee stepped in to resolve the impasse. Acknowledging the total collapse of trust between the complainant and the sub-committee, he announced the dissolution of the group. In its place, the matter will now be referred to the full standing committee, which will conduct a private (in-camera) session. All heads of departments from NIRM, along with Dr. Nisar and other complainants, will be summoned to ensure a comprehensive and conclusive hearing.
The full committee session is now expected to provide the final platform for addressing the long-standing grievances against NIRM, with transparency, fairness, and accountability at the center of the process.
