ISLAMABAD, Feb 8: In what the opposition rejected as a drama, the government surprised many on Friday by abruptly introducing an amended version of a bill for creation of another province in Punjab.

The 24th constitutional amendment bill was neither on the agenda of the day nor rules were suspended for allowing its presentation, but the bill was moved in Senate by Law Minister Farooq H. Naek after removing an anomaly in the report of the Parliamentary Commission on New Provinces.

The amended version proposes an amendment in Article 198 (3) of the Constitution which in its present form reads “the Lahore High Court shall have a bench each in Bahawalpur, Multan and Rawalpindi….”.

The bill now proposes to strike off Bahawalpur and Multan — both to be part of the proposed Bahwalpur Janoobi Province at the commencement of the constitution 24th Constitutional Amendment Act.

Under the existing Article 198 (4) of the Constitution “each of the high court may have bench at such other places as the governor may determine on the advice of the cabinet and in consultation with the chief justice of the high court”. The amended bill now seeks to add in the article section 4 (a) which reads “where a high court is established in a new province, it shall have its principal seat and benches at such places as the governor may determine in consultation with the chief justice of such high courts”.

After presenting the bill, Mr Naek requested the chair to direct the standing committee of the house to submit a report to the house within 10 days.

This angered the Leader of Opposition, Mr Ishaq Dar, who opposed the bill and questioned the rationale behind giving a deadline to the committee.

“The government may bring a bill against Punjab but the committee must not be pressurised,” he said.

Criticising the report of the parliamentary commission, he said it was silent on the distribution of water and financial resources, and said that the drama must be brought to an end.

Mr Dar said the commission had been formed without consulting opposition leaders. The report of the commission, he said, should have been tabled in Senate and demanded that it be made part of the proceedings on the next working day.

But Senate Chairman Nayyar Hussain Bokhari referred the bill to the standing committee concerned.

Syed Zafar Ali Shah of PML-N criticised the government for introducing the bill for dividing Punjab in violation of rules.

Mr Naek, however, said the bill now stood referred to the committee and the procedural objection should have been raised earlier. The chairman asked the minister to be cautious in future.

Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haidri of JUI-F was of the opinion that the report of the commission should have been discussed in the house before referring the bill to the committee. The chairman, however, said the report had not been presented and it could be discussed only when it came to the house.

Veteran PPP leader Mian Raza Rabbani walked out of the house in protest against not including in the day’s agenda the report on missing people approved about two weeks ago by the Parliamentary Committee on National Security headed by him.

He said he had been informed that the Deputy Chairman of Senate had some reservations and when contacted he said signatures of one of the members (Qamar Zaman Kaira) on recommendations were missing. Mr Rabbani said that although signatures of all the members were not essential, he had been assured it would be done. He said he had been informed it was being included in Friday’s agenda.

He said presentation of the committee’s report could not be blocked and observed that it was a violation of rules and amounted to interference in the working of the committee.

Mushahid Hussain Syed of PML-Q, Ishaq Dar of PML-N, Mir Hasil Bizenjo of National Party and some Senators from Balochistan joined the walkout.