Four bills wait as K-P Assembly resumes today

Provincial assembly to convene for the first time after removal of three ministers from the provincial cabinet

PESHAWAR: The provincial assembly is expected to resume on Monday (today) for the first time after the removal of three ministers from the provincial cabinet last month.

As many as four bills and several resolutions are expected to be tabled during the session.

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government had postponed the assembly session for an indefinite period after it sacked three cabinet ministers – Atif Khan, Shahram Khan Tarakzai and Shakeel Ahmad – last month. The postponement was aimed to deprive the opposition and the sacked ministers from an opportunity to raise the issue in the session.

A source in the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) told The Express Tribune that the ousted ministers could have used this opportunity to register their protest against the party’s decision, but the party leadership advised them to keep quiet over the issue.

The source added that Prime Minister Imran Khan, during a recent meeting, had directed the ousted ministers that they may be welcomed back into the provincial cabinet after a while.

Bills

The K-P government is expected to table four bills when the assembly resumes its session on Monday. These include the K-P Finance Amended Bill 2019 and the Galiyat Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2020, the K-P Universities (Second Amendment) Bill, 2020, and the K-P Stamp (Amendment) Ordinance, 2019, during the session.

The K-P Finance Amended Bill 2019 is aimed at slashing tax on immovable properties from two to one and a half per cent.

K-P Law Minister Sultan Mahmood Khan explained that an ordinance to reduce taxes on the immovable property had been issued by K-P Governor Shah Farman, after its approval by the provincial cabinet. He added that the ordinance had to be issued because the provincial assembly was not in session. But with the assembly due to resume, the ordinance will be tabled for approval.

About the Galiyat Development Authority Amended Bill, he said that it will allow an executive authority to set up for the promotion of tourism and development in the Galiyat region. This authority, he said, will have five members from the private sector, and four from the government sector and two will be appointed from the Galiyat area.

The authority will be authorised to form committees for consultancy, procurement, departmental affairs, dispute resolution, and an advisory committee for different tasks.

The provincial government will appoint a director-general for running the authority.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 17^th, 2020.