Punjab Assembly: House passes unanimous resolution against NATO attack, backs Islamabad

MPAs question E&T minister about alcohol licences and eligibility.

LAHORE:

The 32nd session of the Punjab Assembly got off to a lazy but ‘united’ start on Monday with the opposition and treasury benches passing, unanimously, a resolution condemning the November 26 Nato attack on Pakistani checkposts near the Afghan border.

The House said it fully supported steps that the federal government had taken after the attack – the suspension of Nato supplies to Afghanistan, boycott of the Bonn Conference and getting the US to vacate Shamsi Air Base.

The session started two hours late and besides the unanimous passage of the resolution, not much was achieved.

The House failed to take up 10 new bills which were on the agenda for Monday after Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PML-Q)’s MPA Seemal Kamran pointed out the quorum. The chair, Deputy Speaker Rana Mashhood, adjourned the session till 10am on Tuesday (today).

The resolution condemning the attack was passed after parliamentary leaders of all political parties represented in the Punjab Assembly presented identical resolutions condemning the November 26 incident.

According to the content of the resolution, members expressed their outrage over the attack and demanded that Nato aggression be considered an attack on the country’ sovereignty.

Leader of the Opposition Raja Riaz, commended the president and prime minister for taking the right steps after the attack. “The Air Force has been dispatched to the western border and will retaliate [future] air strikes by Nato,” he said, adding that the decisions reflected the public’s wishes.

PML-Q’s parliamentary leader Chaudhry Zaheeruddin demanded that the Government of Pakistan should also tell the US Army to vacate the Shehbaz air base. “Cancel all visas issued to CIA and Black Water operatives in Pakistan and send them back,” he said.

Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said that he agreed with all that had been said, following which the House passed the resolution.

The members of the House offered fateha for Nusrat Bhutto at Rana Sanaullah’s request. The parliamentarians also prayed for the health and quick recovery of Syed Merdan Shah, the Pir Pagaro and President Asif Ali Zardari at the request of PML-Functional members Makhdoom Ahmad Mehmood and Riaz.

Two new MPAs, PML-Q’s Chaudhry Ehsanul Haq and PML-N’s Khizer Hayat Shah Khaggah also took oath on Monday.

 Question hour

Minister for Excise &Taxation Department Mian Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman answered members’ questions.

PPP’s Ehsanul Haq Naulatia asked Rehman to inform the house about categories of alcohol licences given to individuals, hotels and manufacturers, names of hotels which provide alcohol in Lahore and reasons for provision of alcohol. Naulatia also asked Rehman about the quantity of alcohol that the hotels are allowed.

Rehman said that there were four types of licences, permitting the sale and purchase of alcohol. L2 is given to hotels that only sell alcohol, L1 to manufacturers, PR1 to non-Muslim Pakistanis and PR2 to non-Muslim foreigners. He said that currently four city hotels – Pearl Continental, Avari, Holiday Inn and Ambassador– have been issued L2 licences. “There is no limit on the quantity of alcohol that the hotels can get. It depends on the demand,” the minister said. He assured the House that only non-Muslims were allowed to buy alcohol.

Members pointed out that the Royal Palm Country Club was providing alcohol even though it was not licensed. Rehman assured the House that the department would take action against the club.

Several members raised objection to only non-Muslims being allowed to buy alcohol. At this, Rehman said that many Muslims had an NOC, allowing them to buy alcohol for medical/pharmaceutical purposes.

PML-Q minority member Engineer Shehzad Elahi said that he had read in the Bible that alcohol was not permitted in Christianity either. “Then why has Pakistan permitted it for non-Muslims?”, he asked. PML-N’s Tahir Khalil Sindhu replied, “It is because of Zia’s ordinances.”

PPP parliamentary leader Major (retired) Zulfiqar Gondal asked the minister why the three E&T officers appointed “years ago” to check the sale of alcohol at three hotels had not been transferred. He also asked Rehman to “tell the House how much money you get from them every month”. At this, Rehman got annoyed and challenged him to prove corruption in the government and then retaliated with accusations of corruption in the federal government.

PML-Q’s Sardar Mohsin Khan Leghari asked Rehman how new Lahore Transport Company buses were on the roads without proper registration.

“According to the law new vehicles are required to get registered within 60 days,” Rehman said. Leghari stopped him and said, “Buses fall within commercial ventures since they charge a fare. Commercial vehicles cannot be on the road without getting registered.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 13^th, 2011.