The Punjab Assembly (PA)’s combined opposition on Thursday continued its protest against the adoption of the Punjab Local Government (LG) Bill 2013 and held demonstration at the assembly’s entrance after staging a walkout from the house.
The members of opposition benches chanted slogans in favour of their demand to hold the local body elections in the province on a party basis.
When the PA session started, Opposition Leader Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed said that the opposition had no idea why the treasury was in such a hurry to pass the LG bill especially when the opposition was not present in the House.
He said that though they (the opposition) had requested the government to adjourn the session as the former were going to attend the All Parties Conference (APC), the PA’s chair refused the request and the House passed the bill in their absence.
Mehmood said that the opposition members had added many amendments to the bill to improve it but the government violated several rules and passed the bill without their consent.
On the occasion, Jamaat-e-Islami’s Dr Waseem Akhtar told the speaker that he should declared Wednesday’s proceedings related to the LG Bill as null and void but the speaker did not agree with the idea. On this, the opposition leader announced to boycott the proceedings and all opposition members left the House.
The opposition members then jointly gathered outside the PA building’s main entrance and held a protest and a sit-in.
Meanwhile, the speaker continued the assembly’s proceedings and a three-member committee of provincial ministers to bring back the angry opposition through negotiations was sent but the opposition refused and continued their sit-in for one hour before peacefully dispersing.
The Punjab government announced to cancel the registration of all those non-governmental organisations (NGO)s registered for social work in Bait-ul-Maal Department which were not active and functional in the province.
The announcement was made Social Welfare and Bait-ul-Maal Minister Ata Manika who answered various queries related to his departments during the question hour.
He informed the House that there were more than 8,000 registered NGOs which were entitled to work but there were numerous complaints of many non-functional organisations. The final decision to cancel their registrations would be made after holding a special meeting.
The PA session started two hours and 15 minutes later than its scheduled time under the chairmanship of Speaker Rana Iqbal. During the session, a minority member, Ramesh Singh Arora moved an adjournment motion against corruption of millions of rupees and the illegal sale of Sikh worship places from the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB).
In the motion, he stated that the former ETPB chairman Syed Asif Hashmi who was involved in corruption worth millions of rupees had now fled the country. The motion said that Hashmi’s land grabbers were still working to grab 65 acres of land of Nankana Sahab Gurdwara in the name of the Lawyers Housing Colony. He demanded the government to end the said housing scheme.
Furthermore, the mover also raised the issue of Sialkot’s Bairy Sahab Gurdwara and the Bhai Taro Singh Gurdwara saying that the land grabbers had converted such temples into Islamic shrines. That was disgracing and defaming Pakistan in the world, he added.
The motion also urged the government to fulfill its promises to establish the Guru Nanak International University in Nankana Sahab and to ensure a piece of land from the ETPB for the purpose for the sake of a better image of Pakistan in the world.
Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said that it was a serious issue and the mover should take the inquiry along with the Board of Revenue and then present the board’s report in the House in next session.
The Treasury Bench’s Sheikh Allaudin also moved three adjournment motions in which two were related to vacant seats of principals and professors in different medical colleges while the third one was addressed to the awkward admission strategy of public colleges and universities.
Soon after, the House passed the Punjab Boilers and Pressure Vessels (Amendment) Bill 2013 with a majority.
When the legislation was done, only 51 members were present in the House and no member of the opposition was present there as they were boycotting against the LG bill.
Later, the Speaker adjourned the session till 9am today (Friday).
