Punjab Assembly has summoned its seventh session at 11 30 am on Wednesday in a notification issued by the provincial governor. The session would be chaired by Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi. The government is said to have convened this session to issue the production orders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader and former senior Punjab minister, Aleem Khan, presently detained by National Accountability Bureau (NAB). The assembly speaker is likely to issue the production orders of Khan, who will then be brought to the House to attend the sittings.
It is pertinent to mention here that Khan would be the second member of Punjab assembly after Khawaja Salman Rafique, who will be brought on production orders to attend the sittings. Earlier, the Punjab Assembly Speaker did not have the powers to issue production orders for any member of the House. However, an amendment was made during the previous session in the rules of business, which empowered him to issue the production orders. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)’s Rafique became the first such MPA to attend the session.
Privilege Motion against Punjab’s bureaucracy
Meanwhile, a privilege motion was submitted in the Punjab Assembly against the bureaucracy of province by PML-N lawmaker, Azma Zahid Bokhari. She said that the bureaucracy was disrespecting the august House of Punjab. “The bureaucracy of the province has put the resolutions passed by this House in the cold storage as not a single resolution passed by the House was implemented,” she continued in her motion, which is available with Daily Times. She further added that it is binding to implement the resolution passed by the House within the time span of three months.
Resolution against Polio Virus
Another resolution was submitted in the Punjab Assembly on Monday by MPA Hina Pervaiz Butt against the polio virus found in Lahore the other day. Her resolution read, “This House is deeply concerned over an incident in which the polio virus was found from Lahore after 8 years. It raises alarm bells as an eight-month baby was confirmed for carrying the polio virus in Lahore’s Kot Khawaja Saeed area.” She maintained that the House demanded the Punjab government to run a rigorous awareness campaign on polio and parents should also play their roles in getting the vaccine for their children.
Published in Daily Times, February 19th 2019.