The National Assembly on Thursday passed the Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (PIMS) Islamabad Bill 2013, despite low attendance of treasury MPs and strong protests by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Muttahida Qaumi Movement.
The fourth sitting of the 49ths session of the National Assembly opened with Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi in the chair and the lawmakers appeared least interested in the House business.
During the sitting, Federal Minister for Capital Administration and Development (CAD) Nazar Mohammad Gondal floated the Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (PIMS) Islamabad Bill 2013 to rename Pakistan Institute for Medical Sciences (PIMS) ShaheedZulfiqarAliBhuttoMedicalUniversity and granting it a status to award degrees.
On the occasion, PML-N and MQM members stood up and staged a strong protest.
Holding posters of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, legislators from the PML-N and MQM started chanting slogans against the government, saying an insult of the founder of the nation would not be permitted.
Deputy Speaker Kundi allowed the government to present the particular controversial bill, however Federal Minister Syed Khurshid Shah asked PML-N MP Zahid Hamid to initiate a debate over the bill if his party was willing to do so.
Rather than debating, the PML-N lawmakers kept chanting slogans. Meanwhile, the ruling party initiated clause-to-clause reading of the bill that concluded with passing of the bill on basis of majority in the House.
After the passage of the particular bill, PIMSUniversity would have the right to issue medical degrees, which was earlier restricted to Quaid-e-AzamUniversity.
Earlier, a calling attention notice over not handing over possession of plots to allottees in Park Enclave Islamabad was taken up by the House.
Meanwhile, a standing committee report on the Capital University of Science and Technology Bill 2012 was also presented in the House.
During the last session of NA, the House witnessed careless approach by the governments MNAs and ministers, as most of them remained absent from proceedings.
At one instance, PML-N MNA Hanif Abbasi pointed out the low quorum in the House, following which proceedings of the House were suspended for a short time.
The House was later adjourned until Friday.