PESHAWAR: The quorum issue marred the proceedings of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Monday forcing the chair to adjourn the sitting after question hour until today (Tuesday).

Idrees Khan Khattak from the Panel of Chairmen, who presided over the sitting, ordered staff members to ring the bells after the opposition members pointed out a lack of quorum twice.

After recitation from the Holy Quran, Munawar Khan of the the opposition Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal requested the chair to adjourn the sitting insisting a very important case is being heard by the Supreme Court about the election of the Punjab chief minister.

The chair ignored the plea and continued with the session.

On that occasion, the opposition members drew the chair’s attention toward a lack of quorum. The chair directed the staff to carry out a headcount, which showed the required number of lawmakers absent from the house.

Idrees Khattak ordered to adjourn proceedings for 10 minutes to complete the quorum. After completion of the question hour session, the opposition benches again pointed out a lack of quorum leading to headcount orders by the chair for the second time.

The sitting was adjourned for 10 more minutes but the house continued to be without quorum forcing the chair to adjourn it until 2pm today (Tuesday).

During question hour, member of the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party Nighat Yasmin Orakzai said officials had long been facing accommodation problems, so the government should build residential quarters for them.

She also demanded the handing over of the Fata House in Islamabad and Himalaya House in Nathiagali to the provincial assembly’s secretariat.

Ms Orakzai said ministers and senior bureaucrats had been living in four to eight kanals specious bungalows in Peshawar, so the provincial government should construct houses for cabinet members and bureaucrats, including the chief secretary, over just one kanal.

Like the Judges Colony, she suggested that the government put up enclaves for ministers and senior officers as well as small houses to make more efficient use of state properties.

Labour minister Shaukat Ali Yousafzai agreed with the proposal and said a feasibility report was being prepared for the purpose. He also suggested that the government allocate at least Rs500 million in the annual budget to build colonies for its employees.

The minister insisted the government should go for high-rise residential buildings instead of horizontal construction to save land.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2022