100 days and counting: Assembly’s epic session continues into eight month

It is uncertain whether the budget for 2015-16 will be presented in the current session or a fresh one will be called

PESHAWAR:

Even after completing the mandatory 100 days in the parliamentary year, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly’s current eight-month-long session is yet to come to an end. The parliamentary year ended on Friday and it is still uncertain whether the budget for 2015-16 will be presented in the current session or a fresh one will be called.

“This is not an ideal situation,” said Qaumi Watan Party lawmaker Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli. She added Speaker Asad Qaiser was simply exercising his powers without taking anything into consideration. She claimed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf wanted to avoid elections for the office of deputy speaker; “This is why this session has dragged into its eighth month”. She pointed out the assembly speaker has massive discretionary powers and can do as he pleases. Tahirkheli said the foremost tradition in parliamentary affairs is to have a clear-cut calendar so lawmakers have a clear picture of their routine. “This is probably the first time something of this nature has occurred in the assembly’s history,” she added.

100 parliamentary days

The K-P Assembly has also completed its 100 mandatory days of the parliamentary year. Speaker Asad Qaiser congratulated the lawmakers on completion of their second parliamentary year in office. Qaiser said the house received about 44 bills and ordinances from the treasury side and 37 of them were passed in the current parliamentary year.

The speaker said the house received 826 questions and about 227 were taken up. Of the 102 resolutions received, the house passed 38. Also, 227 calling to attention notices were received and ministers responded to 45, while 41 adjournment motions were submitted and 11 were taken up for debate. The house standing committees met for about 107 hours in the current parliamentary year of 100 days.

Lawmakers spat

Lawmakers from opposition benches took exception to the remarks of Special Assistant to CM on Social Welfare Mehr Taj Roghani about the closure of halfway homes for women.

The issue was raised by QWP lawmaker Meraj Humayun Khan.

However, Roghani’s remarks that women should show patience instead of running away from their homes angered opposition lawmaker Nighat Orakzai, who protested.

However, Dr Roghani insisted she never used the word “run away” in her remarks, adding she was going to form reconciliation committees to resolve issues faced by women at the domestic front. She said halfway centres were closed as crisis centres performed the same function.

University Town

Minister for Local Government Inayatullah Khan, while responding to a point of order, informed the house about 90% of University Town’s residences were being used for commercial activity. Inayat said there were 475 to 500 houses in University Town and of those about 400 were being for this purpose. He said the government has taken up this issue with residents and has considered legislation to allow commercial activity to continue as thousands could lose their jobs if it was disallowed.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 23^rd, 2015.