Punjab PA slams ‘gags’ on Imran

Speaker suggests three-month limit for replies to legislators' queries

LAHORE:

Punjab Assembly has passed a resolution condemning a blackout of former prime minister Imran Khan’s speeches and telethon on television channels.

The resolution was presented by Senior Minister Mian Aslam Iqbal who urged the federal government to refrain from such moves. The resolution mentioned that the PTI had taken a step for the people of the flood-hit areas but the federal government was doing politics on the matter, which was regrettable.

Meanwhile, Speaker Sibtain Khan proposed “a maximum three-month time” for each department’s updated response to queries of the lawmakers to avoid a delay of years.

The proposal came after opposition lawmakers expressed concern over delay in submission of the answers, non-satisfactory answers and incorrect information delivered by the departments.

The speaker deferred the questions to ensure fresh and updated replies by the departments concerned.

Questions relating to revenue, colonies, board of revenue and disaster management departments were on the agenda of the assembly. The departments had given answers of the questions asked in 2019 and 2020.

“To avoid such delay the departments must be directed to submit their replies in time," the speaker directed Parliamentary Affairs Minister Basharat Raja.

The minister said a committee formed on the direction of the speaker was going to hold its first meeting on Monday and members from the opposition had been included in it. Some points like delay, wrong questions and non-satisfactory answers would be discussed at length and the issue would be resolved, he added.

Before the question-answer session, PML-N lawmakers grilled the provincial government over occupation of the land of farmers who had not received money under the RUDA Act. Sami Ullah Khan, Mian Marghub Ahmed and other MPAs protested against the provincial government. Mian Marghub said the Supreme Court and other courts had given clear directions but the government was not ready to comply with the orders.

Minister Basharat Raja said neither any PML-N lawmaker had raised an objection nor proposed any amendment when the bill was going through the legislative process in the assembly. The house passed six bills during the day's proceedings.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 13^th, 2022.