Punjab Assembly: Home minister, two MPAs to be part of Security Council

Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board Bill left for lack of quorum.

LAHORE:

Amendments to the Parks and Horticulture Authority Act and the Punjab Strategic Coordination Act were passed by the Punjab Assembly despite reservations from the opposition benches on Thursday.

The session failed to pass the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board Bill due to lack of quorum pointed by a member from the opposition benches.

Thursday’s session, chaired by Deputy Speaker Sardar Sher Ali Gorchani, featured debates on issues faced by sugarcane growers, demands on a salary raise for lawmakers; and “immoral” activities at the Cholistan Jeep Rally.



Ministers for labour and human resources, home, education, special education, human rights and law and cooperative were present at the session.

Amendments to the Parks and Horticulture Authority Act 2012 included adding the divisional commissioner to the authority’s board of directors to allow for greater ownership of a government official involved with the development of the area. It also empowered the board of directors to form regulations with the prior approval of the government.

Khadija Umar, Qazi Ahmad Saeed and Vickas Hassan Mokal expressed reservations regarding the need for the amendments which, they claimed, were “attempting to accommodate more people rather than focusing on the greater well being of the masses”. The law minister opposed the reservations and said the amendments had taken various aspects into consideration.

The opposition benches also raised reservations over the passage of amendments to the Punjab Strategic Coordination Act 2014. The amendments called for including the home minster and two MPAs, nominated by the government, in the Provincial Security Council.

Qazi Ahmad Saeed requested the speaker to nominate two MPAs to the Provincial Security Council instead of the government. The law minister, however, said it was the government’s prerogative to do so.

Chaudhry Aamir Sultan Cheema proposed an amendment that the three lawmakers nominated for the Provincial Security Council would have to have “extensive experience and comprehensive knowledge of counter terrorism”.

Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman jibed that Cheema had been part of a dictatorial regime during which terrorism had taken root. Cheema did not take kindly to this and requested Rehman to refrain from passing personal comments.

Rehman said that the Punjab had taken a lead in the counter-terrorism efforts. He said the terms “extensive experience and comprehensive knowledge”, suggested by Cheema, lacked proper definition which could challenge the appointment of the individuals to the PSC.

Ehsan Riaz Fatayana spoke on the “government’s failure to address the issues of sugarcane growers”. On the subject of MPAs’ salaries, he said the government had failed to ensure that lawmakers were given “the privilege and honour of being public representatives”. His point was well received by the opposition and treasury benches.

Mian Tahir took this point further arguing that a private member bill calling for raise in salaries had been introduced. He said even though 241 members had signed the bill, it had not been properly addressed. Tahir demanded that salaries of lawmakers in the Punjab Assembly be raised in accordance with salaries of other provincial assemblies. Gorchani then instructed the law and the finance secretaries to meet him on Monday to discuss the matter.

Qazi Ahmad Saeed later expressed reservations over “immoral activities” at the Cholistan Jeep Rally. He said that activities like dance parties and display of weapons had featured at the rally.

The House proceedings were later adjourned till Friday morning.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 20^th, 2015.