Session opens : Heated debate on Orange Line, schools security at PA
Discussion on 13 ordinances on the agenda left for later
Punjab Assembly. PHOTO: EXPRESS
LAHORE:
The first day of the Punjab Assembly’s much-awaited 19th session on Friday featured a heated argument on Orange Line Metro Train project and security measures at education institutes in the province.
The day ended without a discussion on 13 ordinances on the agenda.
Speaking on a point of order at the beginning of the session, Leader of the Opposition Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed condemned the government for not consulting the House before starting work on the construction of the Orange Line train project. “The work is causing damage to several heritage sites and resulting in displacement of scores of households. The government seems least bothered about the plight of the people,” he said. Rasheed was interrupted by treasury members who started chanting slogans against the opposition. A shouting match between the treasury and the opposition followed till Law Minister Rana Sanaullah took the floor and criticised the opposition for indulging in ‘political point-scoring’. He said there was no need for disrupting the session after it had been decided during the business advisory committee meeting before the start of the session that a full day would be set aside for debate on the Orange Line project. He said he was willing to take all questions regarding the project. Despite several efforts by Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal, who was chairing the session, order could not be restored in the House.
The session was suspended for half an hour as the joint opposition, comprising members of the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf, the Pakistan Peoples’ Party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid and the Jamaat-i-Islami walked out in protest against the government.
When the session resumed on the return of opposition members, Sanaullah said that the opposition had turned down a suggestion made to them during the walkout through the assembly staff to hold a debate on the Orange Line project. “Don’t mislead the people. Your politics will suffer if your restrict yourself to a ‘blame game’,” he told the opposition.
In response, Rasheed alleged that billions of rupees had been diverted to the project from other public welfare projects. He said the government had withheld this information from the public and was now secretly holding inquiries to track down officials responsible for disclosing it to the opposition. “The government has only agreed to discuss the issue after everyone has taken to the streets to protest against the project,” he said.
Rasheed then moved on to the sudden announcement of vacations at schools in the province. He demanded that the city police be asked to remove its officials from security duties for very important personalities (VIPs). Instead, he said they should be used for security arrangements at schools.
Sanaullah said that in view of the terrorist attack at Bacha Khan University, Charsadda, it was important to review security measures at education institutes. However, he reiterated the government stance that the vacations were announced over extreme weather.
The law minister said schools’ security had been reviewed in a recent meeting of the cabinet committee on law and order. At another meeting, vice chancellors of public universities had been asked to promote a counter-narrative to discredit terrorist outfits and their ideology.
He said schools would resume classes from Monday. On the security protocol for the VIPs, he said no person was being given security beyond the threat assessed for them.
The House later unanimously passed a resolution condemning the terrorist attack on Bacha Khan University. It expressed grief over the loss of lives in this and other terrorist attacks and expressed solidarity with the armed forces in their efforts in the ongoing war against terrorist outfits.
The session will continue at 2pm on Monday.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 30th, 2016.
The first day of the Punjab Assembly’s much-awaited 19th session on Friday featured a heated argument on Orange Line Metro Train project and security measures at education institutes in the province.
The day ended without a discussion on 13 ordinances on the agenda.
Speaking on a point of order at the beginning of the session, Leader of the Opposition Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed condemned the government for not consulting the House before starting work on the construction of the Orange Line train project. “The work is causing damage to several heritage sites and resulting in displacement of scores of households. The government seems least bothered about the plight of the people,” he said. Rasheed was interrupted by treasury members who started chanting slogans against the opposition. A shouting match between the treasury and the opposition followed till Law Minister Rana Sanaullah took the floor and criticised the opposition for indulging in ‘political point-scoring’. He said there was no need for disrupting the session after it had been decided during the business advisory committee meeting before the start of the session that a full day would be set aside for debate on the Orange Line project. He said he was willing to take all questions regarding the project. Despite several efforts by Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal, who was chairing the session, order could not be restored in the House.
The session was suspended for half an hour as the joint opposition, comprising members of the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf, the Pakistan Peoples’ Party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid and the Jamaat-i-Islami walked out in protest against the government.
When the session resumed on the return of opposition members, Sanaullah said that the opposition had turned down a suggestion made to them during the walkout through the assembly staff to hold a debate on the Orange Line project. “Don’t mislead the people. Your politics will suffer if your restrict yourself to a ‘blame game’,” he told the opposition.
In response, Rasheed alleged that billions of rupees had been diverted to the project from other public welfare projects. He said the government had withheld this information from the public and was now secretly holding inquiries to track down officials responsible for disclosing it to the opposition. “The government has only agreed to discuss the issue after everyone has taken to the streets to protest against the project,” he said.
Rasheed then moved on to the sudden announcement of vacations at schools in the province. He demanded that the city police be asked to remove its officials from security duties for very important personalities (VIPs). Instead, he said they should be used for security arrangements at schools.
Sanaullah said that in view of the terrorist attack at Bacha Khan University, Charsadda, it was important to review security measures at education institutes. However, he reiterated the government stance that the vacations were announced over extreme weather.
The law minister said schools’ security had been reviewed in a recent meeting of the cabinet committee on law and order. At another meeting, vice chancellors of public universities had been asked to promote a counter-narrative to discredit terrorist outfits and their ideology.
He said schools would resume classes from Monday. On the security protocol for the VIPs, he said no person was being given security beyond the threat assessed for them.
The House later unanimously passed a resolution condemning the terrorist attack on Bacha Khan University. It expressed grief over the loss of lives in this and other terrorist attacks and expressed solidarity with the armed forces in their efforts in the ongoing war against terrorist outfits.
The session will continue at 2pm on Monday.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 30th, 2016.