The Punjab Assembly on Tuesday passed the new local government bill on Tuesday amid protest and walkout of the opposition while rejecting all the amendments proposed by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led opposition.
The opposition apparently failed to introduce the amendments timely, as they were allowed to move some amendments on the discretionary powers exercised by Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on Tuesday.
As the minister for law and parliamentary affairs, Raja Basharat, moved the bill for its consideration and passage by the House, PML-N’s lawmaker Waris Shad opposed it. Raja Basharat said that the opposition couldn’t give amendments on time, as amendments to any bill were supposed to be introduced within three days after the report of the standing committee concerned was laid in the House, and therefore the amendments of the opposition would now be considered against the order of the House, as the report was laid on Friday and the opposition couldn’t give any amendment within the specified time of three days. When Elahi asked the opposition why it failed to introduce amendments on time, PML-N lawmaker Malik Ahmed Khan said that the opposition wasn’t provided the copy of the report laid in the House. “We were given the copy of the report after 6pm on Friday and our MPAs were gone by that time. I tried to contact you also but you were not available and, therefore, we couldn’t move amendments timely,” he said. Elahi said that the proposed amendments had now lapsed as per the rules, but still allowed him to speak on the bill.
Criticizing the opposition, Raja Basharat said that they were making hue and cry since the Punjab Local Government Bill, 2019, was introduced in the House, and trying to give an impression that the suggestions of opposition were being bulldozed. “It is a wrong impression that the opposition is being bulldozed, as we did deliberations for 14 long hours in three days on the said bill in the Standing Committee on Local Government, and the MPAs of the opposition parties were also present in the meetings,” he said, adding that some amendments were also made to the bill on the suggestion of the opposition. “We abolished the clause of education eligibility for mayors and deputy mayors and the tenure of local bodies was also decreased from five to four years only to build a consensus on the legislation,” he said.
Speaker Elahi said that he always tries to accommodate the opposition parties, but their MPAs used foul and derogatory language against him. He accused PML-N lawmaker Samiullah Khan of labeling him as an SHO of a police station and head of the PML-Q while running the affairs of the House. Samiullah Khan tried to respond, but wasn’t given the floor, which provoked him and he once again repeated the remarks. On this, Elahi threatened to suspend his membership for a day, but later moved on.
Speaking on the bill, Malik Ahmed said it was a bad legislation indeed, and it seems that the government didn’t apply a thoughtful mind in it, as it would be against the basic sprit of the constitution. “Article 140 A of the Constitution of Pakistan talks about establishing the local government and it doesn’t talk at all about dissolving it,” he said. He further added that the government got the bill cleared from the standing committee in haste, without even hearing the grievances of the stakeholders and getting any legal input on it. “We demand the government not to abolish the security of tenure of the incumbent representatives of the local government system, and the bill shouldn’t be passed in haste.”
Raja Basharat said the bill was aimed at replacing a faulty legislation, and added that billions of rupees would be given to union councils and panchayats in the new LG system being introduced by the PTI.
