Treasury, Opposition unite to welcome KP lawmakers

House passes resolution seeking provision of missing facilities at BHUs, RHCs

LAHORE: Provincial Assembly witnessed a rare show of unity on Tuesday as the Treasury and Opposition benches got together to welcome a delegation comprising ministers and Provincial Assembly members (MPAs) from the Kyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) Assembly.

The KPK lawmakers’ delegation has arrived in the city to play a Twenty20 cricket match against a team of Punjab Assembly lawmakers at the Gaddafi Stadium under floodlight on Tuesday night.

At the guests’ gallery, Deputy Speaker Sher Ali Gorchani received the KPK lawmakers’ delegation. “On behalf of the provincial government, I warmly welcome you to the provincial Assembly of the Punjab,” he said.

Gorchani said in a democracy people respected one another despite their differences. “There should not just be tolerance for difference of opinion but also respect for others’ views,” he said.

“We warmly welcome our brothers from the KPK. The Punjab Assembly will soon send a delegation of its lawmakers to visit the KPK Assembly. The exchange visits should continue between the provinces to strengthen the federation,” he said.

Gorchani said the chief minister had asked him to ensure that the KPK delegation was treated with respect and honored at the Assembly. “If the delegation’s schedule permits, he [the chief minister] would like to host it for a cup of tea,” he said.

Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Mahmoodur Rasheed said that both assemblies should also consider playing other sports. “All political parties should show their maturity and try to work together to provide relief to the common man,” he said.

Jamat-i-Ismali parliamentary leader Dr Waseem Akhtar suggested that all parliamentary parties sit together and frame unanimous terms of reference (TORs) for the commission proposed for investigating the Panama Leaks. He said parliamentary heads of all political parties should take the first step and present themselves for accountability.

Four resolutions passed

Earlier, the House unanimously passed four resolutions including Ahmad Khan Bachar’s resolution seeking provision of missing facilities at basic health units (BHUs) and rural health centres (RHCs).

Other resolutions sought provision of free vaccination, treatment facilities and laboratory examination for cervical cancer patients; strict action against manufacturers and distributors of unhygienic beverages; and steps to manufacture and marketing of counterfeit drugs and low-quality seeds. Matters pertaining to the Housing, Urban Development and Public Health Engineering Departments were discussed during the questions hour. The session was adjourned till Wednesday (today) morning on completion of the agenda for the day.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 18^th, 2016.