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| November 15, 2005 | Tuesday | Shawwal 12, 1426 |
MPAs offered revision of privileges
LAHORE, Nov 14: Punjab Assembly members were asked on Monday to table a bill in the house for increasing their privileges if they are not satisfied with the present one. The observation came from the chair, being held by Malik Nazar Fareed Khokhar at that time, when PML’s Najaf Sial demanded its ruling on the status of an MPA.
The chair said privileges of the members were defined in the Privileges Act and the MPA concerned should consult it.
Mr Sial was furious at the senior member, Board of Revenue, for allegedly misbehaving with him and not attending his phone calls.
The matter, he said, was brought to the notice of the relevant minister as well as Law Minister Raja Basharat but to no avail.
Najaf vowed to wear a black arm-band throughout the remaining session if the chair did not give its ruling.
He refused to table a privilege motion when a colleague sitting by him advised him so and went to say that he did not accept any privilege committee.
He latter walked out of the house to stress his point.
PPP’s Rana Aftab said it was alarming situation that officers did not listen even to ruling party MPAs while the assembly members were not ready to accept procedural norms.
He said it was the responsibility of provincial chief executive to make officers show respect for members of this august house.
PML’s Zahida Sarfaraz added that MPAs’ salaries should also be fixed according to their status as had been promised during the last budget session.
PPP’s Ijaz Samma reminded Mr Khokhar, who is also chairman of the privileges committee, that nothing had been done by the body on the motion filed by 27 opposition MPAs on their manhandling by police.
The chair said the opposition had an equal representation in the body and they could have steered it according to their wishes whenever they were in a majority in its meetings.
Parliamentary secretary for parliamentary affairs Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan held Mr Khokhar responsible for the disrespect being shown by bureaucrats. “Had you taken up committee’s business, the situation would not have been that bad.”
MMA’s Asghar Gujjar said the MPAs did not enjoy respect because there was no democratic setup in the country.
PPP’s Jahanzeb Imtiaz Gill alleged that Mr Khan, who was talking of weak performance of the committee, himself had sought leniency for IG prisons when the body was discussing a breach of privilege motion against the officer.
Mr Khan admitted the fact saying he did so because the officer was his relative and there was nothing bad in seeking leniency for one’s kin, especially when the case was lying with the committee for around nine months.
The chair explained the performance of the privileges committee. But PML-N’s Rana Sanaullah said that it was the responsibility of the law minister, who represents the government in the house, to answer the issue raised by Mr Najaf.
The law minister, while criticizing running business in the house through points of order, said the record showed that the incumbent house had taken up maximum privilege motions than any other provincial assembly in the past.
He, however, urged the members not to submit motions against lower staff like constables and SDOs as it was against the prestige of the MPAs themselves.
He regretted that Mr Najaf himself was not serious in filing his complaint as instead of moving a privilege motion he just raised the issue on a point of order.
He urged the chair to discourage “misuse” of point of order facility.
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