Bill for raise in Punjab ministers' perks presented
By Zaheer Mahmood Siddiqui
LAHORE, June 16: The opposition walked out of the provincial assembly on Wednesday when the chair refused to withdraw the Punjab Ministers (salaries, allowances and privileges) Amendment Bill earlier referred to the house standing committee.
Opposition leader Qasim Zia raised an objection to the bill on a point of order soon after the bill was presented but he was disallowed to speak by the chair who referred it to the standing committee for consideration.
Afterwards the chair allowed Mr Zia to speak who said the bill should be withdrawn because it was a cruel joke with the masses. He said at a time when only 15 per cent increase had been announced in the salaries of government employees, the proposed 75 per cent raise in the perks of ministers would add insult to the injury of the masses.
The chair said the bill had been referred to the committee and could not be debated in the house. Mr Zia said instead of raising the perks of the ministers, the government should provide them with offices and authority. The ministers already enjoyed many privileges and did not require further perks.
Law Minister Raja Basharat asked Mr Zia to discuss the bill at the committee meeting, or in the house upon its presentation for debate. Deputy opposition leader Rana Sanaullah termed the bill a conspiracy against the elected representatives. He urged the treasury to withdraw it as it would bring a bad name to the legislature.
The law minister appealed to the opposition to let the house work according to the rules. Arshad Baggu urged the ministers to furnish their houses at their own resources. He said the bill contained no raise for the speaker and the parliamentary secretaries.
Qasim Zia said the opposition would condemn the bill at every level. Rana Sanaullah said the opposition would support the bill if the government increased the salaries of its employees on a par with the proposed perks of the ministers.
Agriculture Minister Arshad Lodhi that the bill could now be discussed only by the house committee. Raja Basharat said the opposition had been co-operating with the treasury in smoothly running the house during the last seven months.
The treasury had always agreed to every principled stand of the opposition and would continue to do so in the future. He assured the house that the government would not reject the amendments to be proposed by the opposition on the basis of the former's majority in the house.
He urged the opposition to wait till Thursday when the provincial budget would be presented before the house. He assured the house that no anti-masses decision would be taken while adopting the bill.
The speaker ruled that the bill had been referred to the committee and could not be debated in the house. Acknowledging that the treasury had always accommodated the opposition in the past, Mr Zia said they were going out of the house in protest against the bill.
There was a rumpus in the house after the opposition's walkout. On the request of the speaker, Revenue Minister Gul Hameed Rokri was sent to bring back opposition members.
Starting debate on labour department, Minister Akhtar Husain Rizvi highlighted various measures taken by the government for the welfare of the workers. Mrs Rofin Julius drew the attention of the house towards the plight of the sanitary workers.
Saeed Akbar Nivani, Waris Kullu and Dr Farzana Nazeer also spoke about the government's welfare projects before the chair adjourned the proceedings untill 11:30 on Thursday when the Punjab budget for the 2004-05 fiscal would be presented.
