ISLAMABAD: A subcommittee of the National Assembly on Monday suggested that the prime minister should answer questions of lawmakers on the first Tuesday of each session.

The subcommittee of the NA Standing Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges, headed by MNA Nawab Sher, met to decide the matter on Monday.

Committee members Mohammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, Mohammad Shafiq along the mover of a bill, Minister for State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Mohammad Khan, attended the meeting.

The participants of the meeting decided that the prime minister should answer questions of lawmakers during an exclusive questiorFhour session on first Tuesday during its sessions. In case of the unavailability of the prime minister on the first Tuesday of the session, he would answer the questions on the following Tuesday.

The main committee recently had formed the subcommittee for making an amendment to rule 69 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in National Assembly 2007. The subcommittee also decided that the prime minister would take at least 50 per cent of the questions from the opposition lawmakers.

`I appreciate the performance of subcommittee, the purpose of this committee is now fulfilled,` said the state minister.

The repon of the subcommittee will be presented before the main committee which will propose an amendment to the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly for introducing the `prime minister`s question hour.

Soon after winning the elections, Prime Minister Imran Khan had announced that he would make himself available on a fodnightly basis to MNAs to reply to their questions relating to different matters on the floor of the house.

In September last year, the minister of state for parliamentary affairs moved the bill seeking amendment to rule 69 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly.

The National Assembly later forwarded the bill to the standing committee which constituted the subcommittee and entrusted it with suggesting the day and procedure etc.

for the prime minister`s presence in the house.