The National Assembly Standing Committee on Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Wednesday rejected a bill to grant regional languages the status of national languages after two committee members labelled each other as ‘anti-state agent’. The discussion on the bill led to an exchange of harsh words between Saeed Ahmad Zafar and the mover of the bill, Marvi Memon.
The war of words ended after the two members blamed each other for being ‘anti-Pakistan’. MNA Begaum Nasim Akhtar Chaudhry was chairing the meeting. PML-Q MNA Marvi Memon had moved the bill that faced a strong resistance from the majority of members with one of them even calling the move as ‘an act against the national interest’. “This bill is anti-Pakistan and we would not allow the passage of this bill, which is contrary to the vision of the founding father Qauid-e-Azam, who declared Urdu as the national language”, MNA Saeed Ahmed Zafar said.
This infuriated Marvi Memon, who strongly protested for words used by his colleague Saeed Zafar and termed it an uncalled-for behaviour. Persistent in her stance, Marvi said she was pro-Pakistan and vowed she would present the same bill again before the committee. Upon this Saeed Zafar remarked that it would meet the same fate again. Later, Mavi Memon left the meeting. PPP MNA from Sindh, Syed Zafar Ali Shah also supported the bill and walked out in protest. He was of the view that the ‘words’ used for those supporting the bill were ‘too harsh.’
Committee chairperson Begum Nasim Akhtar Chaudhry, MNA Tariq Shabbir, S A Iqbal Qadri and Shakeela Khanum Rasheed and MNA Abdul Ghafoor Chaudhry also opposed the bill. They, however, said that regional languages should be promoted in their respective provinces. Earlier, the committee also discussed the constitutional amendment bill 2010 moved by Marvi Memon regarding reforms in the electoral system. In another bill to amend the Pakistan Penal Code, committee proposed to increase the fine for registering false FIRs and giving false information etc.
Meanwhile, Senate Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures met at Parliament House with Senator Tahir Mushhadi in the chair. Election Commission Secretary Ishtiak Ahmed told the committee that degrees of 53 parliamentarians had been found bogus or invalid. He said that around 20 cases of fake degree holders had been sent to police for registration of FIRs. Meanwhile, the chair issued notice to Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) head to appear before the committee in the next meeting, warning that otherwise his warrants would be issued.
