The National Assembly (NA) was informed on Thursday that the country is currently facing a 3 billion cubic feet shortage of gas.
The House was given this information during its session, however, reassurances were given that in coming years with exploration of more resources the situation would be improved and gas shortage would be controlled. The session was chaired by NA Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi and opened with recitation of ‘Fateha’ for the departed souls of former MNA Dr Sher Afghan Khan Niazi and former MP Aasiq Dayaal. During the sitting, NA passed the Provincial Motor Vehicles (Amended) Bill, 2011, despite strong opposition by MNA Zahid Hamid from PML-N; also the amendments suggested by PML-N were rejected.
Newly appointed PML-Q MNA Rukhsana Shahbaz Bhutta also took oath, replacing former MNA Shehnaz Sheikh from the same party. MNA Noor Alam Khan presented a resolution on the floor demanding the house to establish a strong monitoring system to monitor the polio campaign and its outcomes in all four provinces, FATA and Gilgit-Baltistan – the bill was also passed by members of the parliament.
MNA Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, PML-N, tabled a motion, which was also passed without any opposition, demanding the government to ban foreign channels being aired by local cable TV providers and websites that were involved in promoting obscenity. The resolution also demanded the establishment of a committee charged with the responsibility of chalking out a strategy to curb the availability of any obscene as well as blasphemous materials on television channels and the internet. During the session the journalists also staged a walk out from the press gallery protesting against a recent firing incident in which the Punjab Police opened fire on a local journalist in Islamabad.
On a point of order, MNA Anjum Aqeel Khan demanded the government to increase the quota of seats for students from Islamabad in the only medical college in the federal capital, adding that the number of seats for the locals should be 200 which at present were only 10, as over 5000 students seeking admission there were residents of Islamabad. Earlier during the question-answer session, Advisor to Prime Minister on Petroleum and Natural Resources, Dr Asim Hussain, apprised the House that effects of price adjustment were being accordingly passed on to the consumers. The NA was informed that the petroleum product prices had been increased and decreased during the last six months in line with the price trend in the international market and actual import prices.
