A photo showing the building of Punjab Assembly. PHOTO: EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD:
Out of 66 reserved seats for women and minorities in the Punjab Assembly, political parties have elected 31 members from Lahore city alone. Of these, the Pakistan Muslim League –Nawaz has 27 seats – 23 seats for women and two for minorities.
Lahore is the hometown of Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, who is also chief of PML-N. During the last five years, a record amount of development has been carried out in the city, and the party has also elected a Lahore-based MNA, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, for the slot of Speaker National Assembly.
Breakdown
The PML-N won 213 seats in the general elections. Later on, around 35 independent candidates joined the party. Therefore, after obtaining 57 reserved seats out of 66, the number of PML-N seats has reached 305.
On a provincial scale, out of 58 reserved seats for women in the Punjab, PML-N secured 50 seats, based on its performance in the general elections.
Of the eight seats reserved for minorities, N-League has picked seven.
One reserved seat for women in Punjab’s assembly still remains vacant. In this regard, the election commission issued a notification on Tuesday stating that Mehboob Anwar, the provincial election commissioner in Punjab, has been appointed as Returning Officer, to receive nomination papers and determine qualifications of prospective candidates.
This seat is unoccupied because of the non-submission of priority lists by Pakistan Muslim League-Zia. The party has been asked to file these by June 6.
Second and third tier
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) only received one minorities’ seat and that, too, from Lahore.
It got five reserved seats for women, of which it awarded two to Lahore-based candidates.
The Pakistan Peoples Party clinched one women’s seat, and chose a Lahore-based candidate for the slot.
Similarly, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid secured two reserved seats for women, of which it allotted one to a Lahore-based party candidate.
Bar on double membership
The ECP stated that all returned candidates who have been elected on more than one seat should inform the commission about the retention of one seat of their choice. They are to resign from all remaining seats before June 10. If they fail to do so, the commission will take up the matter again.
Article 233 of the Constitution bars a returned candidate to be a member of both the houses, or a house and a provincial assembly, or the assemblies of two or more provinces, at the same time.
Ban on display of weapons lifted
The ECP lifted the ban on carriage and display of weapons and firearms that was imposed during the May elections.
A letter in this regard has been dispatched to all four provincial chief secretaries, and the federal interior secretary, by the commission.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 8th, 2013.
COMMENTS (7)
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This is democracy by quota and by back door. These men or women & technocrats have no mandate and no public accountability as they are put there by their cronies. The pakistan constitution should be re evaluated and these loop holes shut. Even the selection OF PM , chief ministers is a joke. They have protocols of Kings and take three weeks to form a government while in UK its done the following day and only day day for ceremonial queens speech after few weeks. There are no such seats for minorities in UK.
Well if parliamentarians of Punjab can perform then it does not matter that even all belong from Lahore. Performance rather than Quota must be appreciated but If PMLN have distributed these seats among the daughters, sons and grandsons of Politicians then they should be held responsible for this partisan.
And then they ask like Amercians: Why people hate us???
this trend shows that political parties are not interested in developing democracy in women in other parts of province.they just want to per mote favoritism.this type of assembly members on just burdens .this quota should be divided area vise.from a particular area elected members should elect a women member.a party should not gift a women seat to their favorites.
Lahore Lahore he !!!!!!!!!!
Alarming.....! Reserved seats should be distributed in whole province rather that converging on any one city. These seats should be alloted to persons on merit instead of picking family members. This has been the cause of class difference as well and not recognizing efforts of party workers. PML N and other parties should ensure fair distribution in order to promote true society uplift.