The Punjab Assembly (PA) on Thursday passed the Punjab Police Order (amendment) Bill 2013 with a majority under which the government could recruit sub-inspectors directly through the Punjab Public Service Commission.
During the course of approving the bill, the treasury proposed an agricultural university on the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N)’s head’s name and rejected all amendments regarding both the bills.
The PA speaker and the government’s stiff attitude compelled the joint opposition to stage a walkout.
The opposition proposed five amendments in the Police Order (amendment) Bill 2013 and 19 in the bill on the establishment of an agriculture university in Multan on the name of sitting Prime Minister Nawaz Shareef.
The opposition strongly opposed the name of the university and suggested to rename it to ‘Quaid-e-Azam Agriculture University’ or ‘Multan Agriculture University’.
When the speaker did not allow them to express their point of view on the proposed amendments, they boycotted the session, just minutes before the bill was passed.
Under the Police (amendment) Bill, the legislation was done with the aim to streamline the direct recruitment of educated and motivated youngsters as sub-inspectors through the Punjab Public Service Commission which may be employed to improve the quality of criminal investigation, to remove the hurdles in posting competent sub-inspectors as police station office in-charges and through speedy promotions.
Another amendment for which the legislation was done was to improve the investigation standards in the police and the separation of investigation functions and the filing of an investigation report within maximum time period of 30 days.
Thursday’s PA session started one hour and five minutes later than its scheduled time at 10am under the chairmanship of Speaker Rana Iqbal.
Health Minister Khalil Tahir Sindhu answered queries related to Health Department during the question hour.
During the session, some PA members highlighted the unavailability of free medicines at government hospitals owing to which patients were facing enormous problems. The issues of Thalassemia patients were also discussed and the PA members suggested the inclusion of a special column about the disease in the marriage certificate following the resolution passed by the PA. Sindhu told the PA that there were some complications in implementing the proposal as the issue was also related to the Law Department and the district governments.
Later, PA Opposition Leader Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed on a point of order said that the Punjab chief minister should join the PA proceedings as his appearance was necessary to strengthen the prime democratic institute of the province. He further said that the speaker should constitute a committee to bring the CM back to the PA otherwise he was ready to move a resolution to make a request to the CM to attend the PA sessions. The speaker said that he could not force the CM to come.
During the session, Southern Punjab Treasury Member Ahmad Khan Baloch on a point of order pointed out discrimination being done against the MPAs. He told the PA that in the absence of a boarding facility at MPA Hostel, legislators from other districts were being provided stays at a local hotel (the Ambassador Hotel) where MPAs were being disgraced by being allotted inferior quality boarding facilities.
Furthermore, he said that although MPAs were entitled to services equalling to Grade-21 officers, the bureaucrats were enjoying their status in the same hotel while the MPAs had been provided rooms which were being used by the subordinate officials of grade-21 bureaucrats. Upon this, the Speaker said that he would personally take up the matter.
The adjournment motions of Mehmood-ur-Rasheed, Kanwal Nauman, Dr Noshin Hamid, Azma Bukhari, Sheikh Allaudin and Mazhar Abbas Raan followed. Mehmood and Kanwal raised the same issue of high inflation in the province as the prices of different food commodities were being increased. Allaudin highlighted the issue of the Chauborji Garden Housing Colony saying that around 400 houses were located in the colony but the estate officer had showed it as an open place for the construction of new flats( in the colony’s parks). He also said that as per rules, the master plan could not be changed so an open debate in the PA should be permitted. Bukhari told the PA that according to a media report, the Punjab Textbook Board had removed the names of two national heroes and Nishan-e-Haider recipients, Lance Naik Muhammad Mehfooz Shaheed and Sawar Muhammad Hussain Shaheed from the class-IX textbooks. She said that an open debate on the matter was necessary.
The session was later adjourned by the Speaker for 9am today (Friday).
