LAHORE:
The Provincial Assembly passed three bills and a resolution on Monday.
The House passed the Punjab Local Government (Second Amendment) Bill 2014 and the Punjab Strategic Coordination Bill 2014 with a majority vote. The Punjab Free and Compulsory Education Bill 2014 was passed unanimously.
Punjab Local Government (Second Amendment) Act 2014
Amending the Punjab Local Government Act of 2013, the new bill empowers the Election Commission of Pakistan to carry out delimitation of constituencies for local government elections.
The government will divide a district into urban and rural areas.
Under the amendments, the Election Commission will delimit union councils and wards after inviting objections and suggestions from the public and determining the number of union councils and wards.
The bill states that the Election commission will prepare electoral rolls for local government elections. It will also be responsible for their revision.
The bill was passed with a majority vote after opposition members expressed their reservations.
Jamaat-i-Islami’s Syed Waseem Akhtar lauded the government for acting upon the Supreme Court’s directive. He stressed the need for greater care on the issue of delimitation.
“We are already facing the repercussions of the 2013 elections. If the Election Commission is found to be partial, the Jamaat-i-Islami will react strongly.”
Punjab Strategic Coordination Act 2014
The Act aims to establish an institutional mechanism to take what it calls effective measures to counter terrorism; to formulate a security and counterterrorism policy.
It also includes provisions for the establishment of a Provincial Security Council to be headed by the chief minister. The law minister, the chief secretary, the Home Department secretary, the inspector general, two MPAs, three government officials and a director general will part of the council.
There shall also be a provincial strategic coordination board to be tasked with coordinating with federal security and intelligence agencies. Opposition members objected to making the chief minister its head.
Free and Compulsory Education Act 2014
All children between five and 16 years of age will have the right to free and compulsory education under the Article 25-A of the Constitution.
The Act covers non-formal and vocational education as well, and defines the role of private educational institutions in this regard. It offers private institutions an option to either provide education to 10 per cent of the strength of each class or provide education vouchers for disadvantaged children so that they might study at other schools.
The bill calls for penalising parents who do not send their children to school without an acceptable reason. They will not be entitled to the government’s poverty-subsidy programme.
The Act also proposes school management bodies that will include students’ parents, teachers and other school officials. Under the Act, screening of children will not be done at nursery or initial educational level.
Aamir Sultan Cheema said that although opposition members had reservations regarding some of the provisions, the law was a step in the right direction. The opposition withdrew its amendments in the end and the law was passed unanimously.
The Monday session included queries on the allotment of government houses and their possession beyond the designated period pertaining to the Services and General Administration Department.
The NUR International University Lahore Ordinance 2014 and the Punjab Explosives (Amendment) Ordinance 2014 were also extended until November 6 and November 16.
Adjournment motions regarding illegal parallel banking in Lahore and the use of substandard anaesthetic in hospitals were kept pending.
An adjournment motion calling for action against stone-crushing factories creating health hazards was disposed of.
The House also passed a resolution in support of democracy. The session was then adjourned indefinitely.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 28th, 2014.
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