PA passes four bills amid Opp’s protest

LAHORE:Punjab Assembly on Monday passed four bills including the Punjab Public Private Partnership Bill 2019 amid protest from the Opposition whose requests to meet quorum were turned down by the Speaker.

The four bills that were passed by the PA in its session chaired by Speaker Ch Pervaiz Elahi included the Punjab Public Private Partnership Bill, University of Mianwali Bill, Animal Health Bill and Fort Munro Development Authority Bill.

The Opposition staged a walkout at the time when the government was passing the fourth bill and lodged protest against the government for suppressing voice of the House and bulldosing the legislation process.

At the time when clause by clause reading of the bills was underway, Opposition MPA Malik Arshed also pointed out the quorum but Speaker PA turned down his request and order continuation of the session that invited criticism from the Opposition benches.

While responding to the criticism of the Opposition which has been grilling the government for running the province through ordinances, Law Minister Raja Basharat said Shahbaz Sharif government, between 2013 to 2018, laid 106 ordinances which clearly indicated how PML-N was misleading the nation.

Raja Basharat, while providing year wise detail of the ordinances laid by the PML-N in last five years told the House that in the year 2013, PML-N government laid 9 ordinances whereas in the year 2015, in one year, 36 ordinances were laid which raised a question whether the province was run under a ‘martial law.’

“Was Shahbaz Sharif serving as some martial law administrator that he had to lay 36 ordinances in one year, what has he done to this province, its economy, regulations, law,” said the law minister. He said even three days before the expiring the govt’s term in May 31, 2018 ordinances were passed by that government, adding what moral justification they had to do this to the province.

Raja Basharat stated that what the present government was doing was purely in accordance with the law and if the Opposition found something contradictory, it could raise its objection but process of legislation wouldn’t be done as per its aspiration.