PA passes six bills

LAHORE

The Punjab Assembly Wednesday passed six bills including the Punjab Local Government (Fifth Amendment) Bill 2016 by a majority. 

The other bills passed by the PA include the Punjab Agriculture, Food and Drug Authority (Amendment) Bill 2016, the Ifra Structure Development Authority of the Punjab (Amendment) Bill 2016, the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order (Amendment) Bill 2016, the Punjab Blood Transfusion Safety Bill 2016 and the Punjab Poultry Production Bill 2016. In the absence of Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, Khalil Tahir Sindhu, a Punjab minister, moved the bills.

The House also adopted two resolutions seeking extension of the Provincial Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Ordinance 2016 and the Punjab Agriculture, Food and Drug Authority (Amendment) Ordinance 2016 for a further period of 90 days with effect from November 17, 2016. 

PTI members led by Opposition leader Mian Mehmood-ul-Rasheed announced staging a boycott against the use of word ‘dugduggi’ by the prime minister against his opponents. Only three members of the Opposition including Khurrem Jehangir Wattoo (PPP), Waqas Moakkel (PML-Q) and JI Parliamentary leader Dr Wasim Akhter participated in the process of legislation but their proposed amendments were rejected.

Waqas Moakkel, PML-Q parliamentary leader, while speaking over the legislation stated the government must take all stakeholders in confidence and must avoid passage of bills by ignoring the representatives from the Opposition parties.

Khurrem Jehangir Wattoo, the PPP legislator, while speaking over the Punjab Poultry Production Bill 2016 stated that the government must not ignore the plight of poor farmers. He said feed of chickens had a major space in the poultry industry and affluent people associated with the business had even set up feed mills due to which the poor poultry farmers had to suffer. Khurrem said the bill doesn’t define any mechanism to set the prices of poultry and bar the mafia in the business.

Earlier, Mian Mehmood ul Rasheed came hard on the prime minister for using the word ‘duduggi’ against his opponents. The PA also witnessed uproar during the speech of Mian Mehmood ul Rasheed and both Treasury and Opposition benches chanted slogans against each other. 

Later, talking to the media outside the Punjab Assembly, the Opposition leader said the story published by a section of media was against the country’s armed forces which were combating terrorism by launching operation Zarb e Azb.

He criticised Shahbaz Sharif and demanded him to tell the nation why the record of metro bus was torched, and why the Nandipur project record was tampered with. 

He said the PML-N wouldn’t be able to form government even in Punjab and November 2 would remove all the misconceptions in the mind of the rulers.

Earlier, question hour related with Communication and Works was held in which Minister Tanvir Aslam Malik responded to the queries.

A PTI member drew the attention of Deputy Speaker Sher Mohammed Gorchani to the absence of the secretary concerned in the session on which he told the House that the official couldn’t attend the PA proceedings due to health reasons.

Khurrem Jehangir Wattoo once again demanded live coverage of the PA proceedings like other provinces. Responding to him, the deputy speaker said that the matter was already under consideration.