Govt plans to open wedding halls after Eid, PA told

LAHORE:Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat on Tuesday told the Punjab Assembly that the government was considering opening wedding halls after Eidul Azha.

The law minister stated this while responding to PML-N MPA from Okara Muneeb-ul-Haq who on a point of order took up the issue that the hall owners had suffered massively during the Covid-19.

The PML-N MPA stated that the miseries of people were on the rise and it was becoming difficult for them to survive. He requested to the government to give exact date for reopening the marriage halls. He stated that thousands of people were associated with this business and therefore the government must resolve this issue, he said.

Raja Basharat on the occasion told the House that Minister for Industries Mian Aslam Iqbal was in contact with the representatives of marriage hall association and government was planning to open the wedding halls under SOPs after Eid.

Besides, on a point of order, PML-N MPA Kanwal Liaqat said the government had issued a notification to seal those mosques which would neither install CCTV cameras nor hire security personnel. She said it could create anarchy if mosques were sealed. Responding to this, Raja Basharat made it clear that the mosques would not be closed by the government.

A question hour session on the Food Department was postponed through the absence of secretary food. During the PA session which was chaired by Deputy Speaker Mir Dost Mohammed Mazari and later by Chairman of Panel Mian Muhammad Shafi, Opposition bencher Khalil Tahir Sindhu grilled the government for failing to ensure the presence of the secretary in the House. He added that it seemed the government is helplessness in front of the bureaucracy. Minister Abdul Aleem Khan on the occasion said that the secretary was busy preparing meeting of the National Food Secretary Security convened by PM at5 pm. The minister apologised to Khalil Tahir Sindhu and the House for the absence of the secretary. On his request, the question hour session was postponed.

The house, which had its Private Members’ Day, passed a resolution that urged the government to establish psychology centres and classes in educational institutions for educating children on mental health. On the completion of the agenda, the proceedings were adjourned till Wednesday (today).