Punjab Assembly: Resolution on South Punjab province remains pending

Other resolution seeking a comprehensive child protection strategy adopted.

LAHORE: Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal on Tuesday reserved his ruling on whether or not a resolution on the formation of a new province in southern Punjab could be taken up by the provincial assembly after the law minister said that the matter required an amendment to the constitution and should therefore be raised in the National Assembly.

Meanwhile, two of the five resolutions tabled in the assembly were adopted. The assembly passed Humaira Awais Shahid’s resolution calling for the establishment of a comprehensive child protection strategy and Sheikh Alauddin’s resolution seeking an amendment in the Marriage Function Ordinance of 2000 to make celebratory firing at weddings an unbailable offence.

The decision on the resolution on formation of a south Punjab province, moved jointly by Pakistan Muslim League-Q’s Mohsin Leghari and Pakistan Peoples Party’s Maj (r) Zulfiqar Gondal, was kept pending after Law Minister Rana Sanaullah stated that under Sub Article 4 of Article 239 of the Constitution, an amendment was needed in the constitution for formation of new provinces or adjustment of boundaries of the existing provinces in the country. He said national assembly was the appropriate forum for such a resolution.

Sanaullah said the National Assembly and the Senate needed to pass the bill with a two thirds majority and then send it to the relevant provincial assembly for its approval.

The speaker reserved his ruling after PPP member Ehsanul Haq Naulatia insisted that a provincial assembly could still entertain it. During sessions on Friday (December 23) and Monday (December 26), the speaker had said that the matter would be discussed and settled at his chamber.

Talking to The Express Tribune after the session, Leghari said the government was delaying the issue on purpose. He said despite assuring the house that the issue would be discussed at his chamber, the speaker had left the assembly without discussing it.

He questioned the justification for including the resolution in the agenda of the proceedings if, according to the law minister, the provincial assembly was not an appropriate forum for the matter.

Leghari said a resolution was meant to express an opinion. The legislative process could then be initiated by the parliament.

The resolution had been moved by Leghari and Gondal on October 20, a day after PML-N president Nawaz Sharif announced support for a new province in south Punjab at a public rally in Dera Ghazi Khan.

The resolution said none of the political parties represented in the house opposed  the division of Punjab into two provinces.

It said house urged the Centre to initiate legislation in this regard.

The session will continue till January 3, 2012. On Tuesday, the session started at 11:02 am. The scheduled time for the start of the session was 10 am.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, December 28^th, 2011.