Punjab Assembly session: Lawmaker seeks action against BISP fraudsters

PML-Q legislator submits adjournment motion.

LAHORE: An adjournment motion was filed in Punjab Assembly on Friday, seeking strict action against fraudsters sending messages to innocent people for minting money in the name of Benazir Income Support ProgrammeBenazir Income Support Programme.

PML-Q legislator Khadija Umer the motion, stating people were conning naive citizens by telling them their names were on the list of BISP beneficiaries and they could receive cash stipends. Poor people are trapped via text messages on mobile phones, asking them to send phone credit on specific phone numbers. While the innocent people believe they will get payments in return, they are deprived of their hard-earned money through the fraud.

Khadija requested the house to take strict action against such conmen.

Non-serious attitude

Earlier, the non-serious attitude of lawmakers marred the question hour session. Of the eight lawmakers whose 10 questions were on agenda, only two actually turned up to grill the ministries concerned.

The session had already started more than 90 minutes late, beginning at 10:38am instead of the scheduled 9am. MPAs have to submit their questions in written some days before the planned session. They are informed when their questions are scheduled on legislative agenda.

Questions related to the transport department were on agenda on Friday and the minister, Sher Ali Khan, responded to the queries by PML-N’s Lubna Rehan and PML-Q’s Khadija Umer.

While the two female lawmakers were present when the speaker called their names, the other six – PPP’s Mian Khurram Jahangir, PML-N’s Hina Pervez Butt, PTI lawmakers Shoaib Siddiqui, Mian Aslam Iqbal, Jamaat-e-Islami’s Dr Waseem Akhtar and independent legislator Ehsan Riaz Fatyana – were absent.

Aslam’s question was taken up by another legislator on his behalf while Ehsan’s question was not answered to by the department concerned.

On his complaint to the speaker, the transport minister was warned the house would start misconduct proceedings if the answers were not provided.

The session was prorogued till Monday 3pm on lack of quorum.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 18^th, 2017.