PESHAWAR, Oct 11: The NWFP Assembly on Monday adopted two bills for Increasing the service term of the provincial public service commission chairman by a year and repealing the North-West Frontier Province Agriculture Produce Markets (Repeal) Ordinance, 2002.
Abdul Akbar Khan of the People's Party Parliamentarians opposed both the bills and said it was unfair to enhance the term of the public service commission to five years. He said the institution should be independent of any favouritism as it was the only apex body which recruited people to the provincial service.
He opposed government's interference in the commission's affairs. NWFP Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ayaz Khan said the chairman of the commission in Punjab had a five-year term. "We want to bring it at par with Punjab and it is not an illegal or odd thing," he said.
Abdul Akbar said: "We are independent in doing our legislation. Why should we follow Punjab in provincial issues?" He said the NWFP governor had replaced the Agriculture Produce Markets Act, 1939, with the Agriculture Produce Markets Ordinance on Oct 5, 2002. Now the government wanted the house to revive the act of 1939 with effect from Oct, 5, 2002, he said.
"If this house repeals it, all the things done under this ordinance during the last two years shall stand invalid. Who will be responsible for this," he asked. He said in the past deputy commissioners and commissioners dealt with agriculture markets and he had proposed that after the abolition of the posts, district mangers and regional mangers must be appointed to deal with such issues.
Saeed Ahmed Khan of the Pakistan Muslim League said: "It is difficult for me to understand the contents of the bill which is being repealed." The law and parliamentary affairs minister assured Abdul Akbar that he would hold negotiations with the PPP lawmaker and make the bill effective.
Later, Abdul Akbar withdrew his amendments to the bill. The house also discussed an adjournment motion moved by Abdul Akbar and Dr Zakirullah Khan of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal in the previous sitting.
The movers were of the view that Finance Minister Sirajul Haq should make an explanatory statement in the house on whether the federal government would pay Rs6 billion or Rs8 billion to the NWFP as net hydroelectric power profit. They said Water and Power Development Authority officials had hinted that the profit had not been enhanced.
