LAHORE, Dec 10: The Punjab Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution condemning the award of death sentence to political leaders (of Jamaat-i-Islami) in Bangladesh for their alleged war crimes, urging the federal government to raise the issue at the world fora.

Through another resolution, the house paid tributes to the late South African leader Nelson Mandela.

The out-of-turn resolution on the conviction of JI Bangladesh leaders was presented by the party’s MPA, Dr Wasim Akhtar. It said: “The house condemns the capital punishment to political leaders in Bangladesh. World human rights and lawyer associations have condemned the punishment. The house must recommend to the federal government to appeal to the United Nations Security Council and other world bodies to have the punishments withdrawn.”

A few opposition members in the house supported the resolution. The majority PML-N did not oppose it. And Acting Speaker Sardar Sher Ali Gorchani said it was adopted unanimously.

The resolution paying tributes to the late Mandela was presented by PML-N’s Kanwal Nauman. It expressed deep sorrow over the death of the leader who won many world awards for his services to his nation.

The house unanimously passed a resolution by Leader of the Opposition Mehmoodur Rashid, seeking removal of encroachments around the grave of Dulla Bhatti and the streets leading to it. It also demanded a new mausoleum at the site.

It adopted a resolution by Ms Kanwal Nauman, seeking better job opportunities for special persons. But as suggested by Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, she earlier deleted its portion seeking allocation of five per cent job quota for them.

A resolution passed by the assembly recommended grant of university status to the Jhang campus of the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences and changing its name to Mian Muhammad Sharif Veterinary University.

The chair disposed of a resolution by PML-N’s Raheela Khadim Hussain, recommending legislation to punish those violating children. The law minister said such laws already existed.

QUESTION HOUR: Speaking during the question hour, Minister Chaudhry Abdul Wahid agreed that 1,100 posts in the prisons department were lying vacant for long. But a summary had been sent to the chief minister for making recruitments against them, he said.

As many as 800 posts of staff for two new jails were also being filled. And the government was hiring 400 retired army personnel to use machine guns being given to all prisons.

He said the Election Commission of Pakistan had now banned recruitments due to the local elections. But the chief minister would soon allow recruitment of jail staff. He said 12 new jails would be constructed in one year. Three of them would be constructed by June next year having a capacity of housing 12,000 prisoners.

The Manawan Jail Complex would be constructed in three years, where 5,000 prisoners including women could be kept. He said the jail authorities had so far recovered more than 5,000 mobile telephones from prisoners. The government was taking the issue very seriously and getting cases registered against jail officials found facilitating the use of mobile phones by prisoners.

A mobile telephone jammer had been installed in Adiala Jail and other prisons would be provided with the facility soon, he said.

The minister said all basic health facilities existed in jails and prisoners requiring emergency treatment like in the case of heart attacks were shifted to hospitals without any delay. He said the government was introducing a system of conducting complete medical tests of all prisoners at the time of their entry to enlist their state of health.

He said it was not under the government control to stop imprisoned women from keeping their children with them. This was the job of courts, he said. The government was fulfilling its duty of providing such women and children all possible facilities.

The acting speaker disallowed the opposition to table an adjournment motion or a resolution expressing concern over the suspension of gas supply to industry and CNG stations.

The session was adjourned till Wednesday morning.