K-P Assembly adopts Hazara province resolution

Public Service Commission Bill 2021 deferred

PESHAWAR:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly on Tuesday adopted a resolution about the creation of a new Hazara Province despite the opposition of Awami National Party (ANP).

The resolution was tabled by the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) legislator Sardar Yousaf. He said that in the resolution the provincial assembly urges the federal government that a resolution no 468 was passed by this assembly on March 21, 2014 in which it had been pointed out that there is no restriction in the constitution on the creation of new provinces so it is recommended that the federal government should table a bill for the creation of Hazara Province in the national assembly and a commission should be established for it as soon as possible. He said that the mentioned resolution should be implemented as soon as possible.

ANP’s legislator strongly opposed the resolution on which Sardar Yousaf said that the ANP’s MPA Liaq Khan from Hazara Division had already supported the said resolution and ANP should create unity in its ranks first.

The speaker later announced that the resolution has been passed with great majority. All other parties other than ANP supported the resolution and voted for it.

Public Service Commission (amendment) Bill 2021 was also tabled in the assembly but government failed to win the support of the opposition so it was deferred. Two bills K-P Science, Technology and Innovation Endowment Fund Bill, 2021 and the KP Deserving Artists Welfare Endowment Fund Bill, 2021 were adopted by the house. Under the new Science and Technology bill a Rs100 million special fund will be allocated for the promotion of science and technology in the province. A new board will be established by the provincial government under the chairmanship of minister for technology and an endowment fund will be established for the promotion of science and technology in which wealthy people could also donate.

Both the new bills were tabled by the provincial minister Fazal Shakur.

Speaker Mushtaq Ghani showed his dissatisfaction over the lack of quorum, saying that the government has failed to complete the quorum which is its primary responsibility. He said that he would seek explanation from the law minister in this regard.

He said that the meeting had been convened on the request of the government and still neither opposition nor treasury members are present in the house.

Three times during the session the lack of quorum was pointed out. Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MPA Nighat Orakzai pointed out the lack of quorum and said that both treasury as well as opposition members were not taking interest in the assembly session.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 5^th, 2022.