Despite low attendance and a delayed start to the session, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly succeeded in passing four bills on Monday.
The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Universities (amendment) bill 2012, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Disabled Persons (employment and rehabilitation) amendment bill 2012, Borstal Institutions bill 2012, and the Sacked Employees (appointment) bill 2012 were passed.
Reappointing employees
The house passed the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Sacked Employees (appointment) bill 2012 with agreement from both the opposition and treasury benches. The bill was introduced in the provincial assembly last Friday.
The bill will reinstate nearly 5,000 employees and will cost the provincial exchequer about Rs1.5 billion.
It will reappoint employees who were appointed on regular basis to a civil post in the province during November 1, 1993 to November 30, 1996 (both days inclusive) and were then dismissed, removed, or terminated from services during the period November 1, 1996 to December 31, 1998.
Senior provincial minister Bashir Ahmad Bilour, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) parliamentary leader Abdul Akbar Khan and Leader of the Opposition Akram Khan Durrani, among other members, appreciated the passage of the sacked employees bill.
Universities bill
Under the K-P universities (amendment) bill, the Khushal Khan Khattak University will be made into a full-fledged university.
Borstal Institutions bill
In the wake of the 18th amendment, which abolished the concurrent legislative list, the matter of rehabilitation of people suffering from physical disabilities was devolved to the provinces.
In order to establish and regularise Borstal institutions in the province for detention of juveniles and provision of basic education, the assembly also passed the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Borstal Institutions Bill 2012, with a single amendment presented by Mufti Kifayatullah, a member of the assembly from opposition benches.
During the proceedings, a joint resolution was moved by Akram Khan Durrani and Awani National Party (ANP) parliamentary leader Bashir Bilour that was duly signed by other members of the house.
The resolution called for a relief package for the business community in light of terrorism and security problems in the area. The resolution said that the implementation of the package, which had been announced by former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, would help restore the trust of businessmen in the region and reduce unemployment. The resolution also demanded that not only should the three-year package be implemented, but the two-year extension in the package also be granted.
Speaker Kiramatullah Khan directed the assembly secretariat to send a copy of the resolution to the Prime Minister Secretariat on Tuesday (today). Later, the speaker adjourned the assembly session for an unspecified period.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 11th, 2012.
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