LAHORE: Tabling of five recently promulgated ordinances in the shape of bills was the major activity in the Punjab Assembly on Thursday which met for less than two hours and lacked luster.

The attendance was thin and even majority ministers were missing. The prominent absentees included Law Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman and Home Minister retired Col Shuja Khanzada.

Labour Minister Raja Ashfaq Sarwar laid the bills in place of Mr Rehman and acting Speaker Sardar Sher Ali Gorchani kept pending four call attention notices in view of the absence of the home minister. He took a serious notice of Mr Khanzada’s absence on three occasions and ordered his appearance on Monday at any cost.

“I will not accept any excuse,” he said even when Food Minister Bilal Yasin said that Mr Khanzada was busy arranging for the forthcoming high-profile visit of the Turkish prime minister.

The chair also tackled short quorum pointed out by PML-Q’s Khadija Umar after Mr Sarwar had tabled only one ordinance. Bells were tolled upon his order for five minutes during which the uninterested treasury members rushed to the house to maintain quorum and save the government from embarrassment of failure to conduct its business (legislation).

The laid laws were The Punjab Sound Systems (Regulation) Ordinance, The Punjab Maintenance of Public Order (Amendment) Ordinance, The Punjab Criminal Prosecution Service (Constitution, Functions and Powers) (Amendment) Ordinance, The Punjab Social Protection Authority Ordinance and the Lahore Arts Council (Amendment) Ordinance.

Mr Gorchani referred them to the standing committees concerned for a report within two months.

In the very beginning of the session, JI’s Dr Wasim Akhtar mentioned the JIT report on Karachi’s Baldia fire incident and said the case should be referred to the military court for trial and a resolution should be passed to demand a ban on the MQM. The chair asked him to present the draft resolution for perusal.

Some PML-N members including Sheikh Ejaz praised the PML-N leadership for finding out Chiniot iron ore reserves which they said would change the fate of the country.

PML-N’s Sheikh Alauddin mentioned the recent arrest of two girls from the Lahore airport who were going to Dubai for white slavery. He said such trade was being conducted openly in Lahore and girls were being transported to the Gulf for the purpose.

“Why the social welfare department is ignoring it if at all it does exist,” he asked. He said the women were in fact being exploited by powerful gangs of white slavery and they need rehabilitation. “Constitute a committee and I will reveal who is involved in the racket,” he said.

Ms Khadija Umar sought to move an adjournment motion seeking action against the owners of a shopping mall in Gulberg, holding them responsible for the death of a minor girl who had fallen from a gap in its escalator a few days ago. The motion was kept pending.

Earlier, speaking during the question hour, Social Welfare Parliamentary Secretary Ilyas Ansari said 370 posts were vacant in the department but they would be filled in one month.

He said out of the total 7,500 NGOs in Punjab, only 60 per cent were functional. The department was computerising their record and after its completion the non-functional or bogus NGOs would be de-notified.

The minister said the condition for producing marriage certificate for getting dowry fund was introduced after misuse of the facility. The department was setting up a beggar home in Lahore for the rehabilitation of beggars.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2015

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