ISLAMABAD, Dec 16: A speakers' conference held here on Thursday recommended to the government to provide training to members of both federal and provincial assemblies so that they could discharge their duties in a befitting manner
, like what their counterparts do in modern democracies of the world.
The conference, held at the Parliament House, declared that the parliamentary system was working well in the country and that there was no danger to democracy. It, however, felt the need for giving the opposition more time on the floors of houses.
The participants of the conference observed that legislatures were completely sovereign and the legislative business was being conducted by them satisfactorily.
Chaired by the National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain, the confeence was attended by National Assembly Deputy Speaker Sardar Muhammad Yaqub, NWFP Assembly Speaker Bakht Jehan Khan, Balochistan Assembly Speaker Jamal Shah, Sindh Assembly Speaker Muzaffar Hussain Shah and Punjab Assembly Speaker Afzal Sahi.
The AJK was represented by the secretary of parliamentary affairs. It was decided that such meetings would now be held on a quarterly basis in the four provinces and the first of such meetings will be held in Quetta.
Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain chose not to face the media himself to avoid answering some hard questions and in his place Sindh Assembly Speaker Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah briefed newsmen about the conference.
The meeting decided to start training of lawmakers of all legislatures of the country and asked the government to provide funds for the purpose. The conference also called upon the federal government to organize conferences of lawmakers of Saarc countries' legislatures on a regular basis in order to create harmony and interaction between them.
