MPAs for making national anthem part of PA’s proceedings

Say it will create love and patriotism

LAHORE: Despite their difference on several issues, the lawmakers of the treasury and the opposition benches were seemed united on making national anthem a part of the Punjab Assembly proceedings.

Punjab Minister for School Education Dr Murad Raas said the national anthem should be made a part of the Punjab Assembly’s proceedings and everyone would see that all-out efforts would be made at the government level.

“Singing the national anthem in the assembly is a good tradition which the PTI government will implement in its tenure,” he said. Lambasting the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), he said it was astonishing that the PML-N wanted to make the national anthem part of the assembly proceedings but it (PML-N) done nothing in the past in this regard.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) MPA Sumaira Ahmed said the national anthem taught us how to maintain discipline and it was also a source of inspiration and warmth.

PTI’s other woman lawmaker Uzma Kardar suggested singing national anthem twice during the session ie at the beginning and the starting of the session.

PML-N’s Malik Nadeem Kamran said when the national anthem could be sung in the national assembly then why not in the Punjab Assembly. He said the national anthem should be made part of the proceedings after the recitation of Quran and Naat. He also referred to a resolution he submitted in the assembly’s secretariat and said the national anthem creates love and patriotism.

When asked whether PML-N had made effort to make it part of the assembly proceedings in the past, he said efforts were made at different stages but bore no fruit.

PTI’s Sadia Sohail Rana said she would personally take this matter to Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervez Elahi.

PML-N’s Khawaja Imran Nazir recalled the days of schools where anthem was sung. He said the opposition would fully support the government if a step was taken to make the national anthem part of assembly proceedings.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 8^th, 2019.