Presidential seal: K-P govt blames president for delay in extending laws to PATA

Spokesperson says Mamnoon Hussain needs to sign laws so they can be implemented

PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkwa government spokesperson lashed out at President Mamnoon Hussain on Monday for not approving the extension of provincial laws to the Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (Pata).

Addressing the K-P Assembly, spokesman Mushtaq Ghani said that since President Mamnoon had not ratified all the laws passed by the provincial government these cannot be implemented in Pata, including Malakand division.

“Our president is too busy and has no time to sign our laws so that they can be extended to Malakand division,” Ghani said with a touch of sarcasm.



The spokesperson pointed that Pata could not benefit from the laws enacted by the provincial government, such as the K-P Right to Information Act, K-P Right to Services Act and K-P Whistle blower Protection and Vigilance Commission Act. These laws can be extended to the Pata only if approved by the president.

Transit Bill

The government passed the K-P Urban Mass Transit Bill 2016, moved by special assistant to the chief minister for transport, Shah Muhammad.

Though the opposition members were in majority in the house by the time Deputy Speaker Dr Mehar Taj Roghani put up the bill for voting he ignored the number of members denying the motion and announced that the bill had been passed.

The opposition objected and called for a counting of votes. A K-P Assembly official argued that opposition members were in majority when the votes were first counted but the government members later stepped in and gained a majority.

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