Federal govt should form body of experts on KBD: Sanaullah

Addressing a press conference to preview the 43rd Punjab Assembly session starting on Thursday, the minister was asked if the government planned to move a resolution in favour of the construction of the dam.

Sanaullah responded that the assembly had already passed several resolutions in favour of the dam. He said the Punjab government believed the dam was needed to overcome water and energy shortages.

He said that the PML-Nawaz’s position was that there should be a consensus on the dam. He said that if two provinces had raised concerns about water issue or engineering issues, the federal government should try to remove their concerns.

He said that the federal government should form a body of national and international experts, in consultation with all stakeholders, to address the concerns.




Agenda

The minister said that the government planned to introduce two bills, pass some bills regarding universities, and take up other business such as adjournment motions.

He said that in the current parliamentary year, the Punjab Assembly had completed 32 of the 100 days it is required to stay in session. After the next session, it will have completed 50 days, he said. He said that the current assembly had set a legislative record for the province, passing 119 bills in the last four-and-a-half years. The previous record of 118 bills passed in the provincial assembly stretched back to 1937, he said. The PML-Quaid-led assembly had passed 84 bills in five years, he said.

Sanaullah rejected allegations of rigging in the by-election, saying that the Election Commission had not received a single complaint against the Punjab government from some 1,000 polling booths.

He said that general elections should be held on time

Published in The Express Tribune, December 13^th, 2012.