July 06, 2006	Thursday	Jumadi-ul-Sani 9, 1427

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LAHORE, July 5: The new Punjab criminal prosecution department would be launched on Aug 14, law minister Raja Basharat told the provincial assembly on Wednesday.

The process for recruitment of clerical staff in the new department was under way, the minister told the house during the question hour.

Answering a question of Arshad Baggu, he said no new district attorney would be recruited and the in-service officers adjusted in the department.

The Punjab government had provided Rs1 million and Rs300,000 to all district and tehsil bars, respectively, from 2003 to 2006, he said in response to Dr Wasim Akhtar’s question.

He said the government would not ask the bar associations to give details of how they spent the grants as these bodies had their own audit system and no complaint in this regard had been received.

The opposition members lodged a strong protest on the details given by Communication and Works Minister Chaudhry Zaheeruddin about the amount spent on the construction of 12 new residences and the chief minister’s secretariat in Lahore GOR-I on the question of Malik Asghar Ali Qaiser. The minister had informed the house that 50 per cent of the Rs124.222 million spent in the GOR-I were on the CM’s secretariat.

“The CM’s secretariat is not the property of any individual. It is a state property and a national asset. The government has also spent amounts on projects like the women’s university in Rawalpindi and the Tariq Centre in Multan. A proposal to construct official residences for BS-16 and BS-17 employees is under consideration of the government,” the minister said.

The thoroughfares from Kabirwala Morr to Kabirwala called Khanewal Road and the Kala Khatai Road that connected Narang Mandi with Lahore had outlived their lives, Chaudhry Zaheer said.

Assistance of the Asian Development Bank had been sought for the construction and renovation of the two roads. A Chinese firm would start work on the Khanewal Road early next year while the construction of Kala Khatai Road would begin during the fiscal year, he said in response to the question of Samiullah Khan.

Thirteen buildings had been completed at a cost of Rs124.922 million during the last financial year by the communication and works department.

BOYCOTT: The PPP members staged a token boycott of the proceedings when Rai Ijaz, who was presiding over the session, refused to allow them to speak on the anniversary of Gen Ziaul Haq’s takeover.

The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and the PML-N members did not join the boycott and the PPP members returned after some 15 minutes or so.

Soon after the question hour, the chair expunged the remarks of PPP’s Raja Riaz about July 5 and later left the house.

Rana Sanaullah said on a point of order that in the absence of the PPP members there should not be any further proceedings of the house and Raja Basharat should go and bring them back.

Raja Basharat said Rana Sana’s leadership had recently signed “Maisaq-i-Jamhooriat” with the PPP and instead of sitting in the house the deputy opposition leader should have accompanied the PPP members.

Agri-marketing minister Rana Qasim Noon said Zulfikar Ali Bhutto remained a minister in the cabinet of Gen Ayub Khan. Benazir Bhutto gained power with the help of Gen Ziaul Haq and Gen Aslam Beg. The PPP could only get power with the help of any general in the future too.

PPP’s Javed Siddiqui said Zulfikar Bhutto left the cabinet of Ayub Khan when he realised that he was a dictator. Nawaz Sharif also raised voice against dictatorship. “Now Chaudhry Shujaat and Chaudhry Pervaiz should also follow the suit as the nation would support them as it did with both Zulfikar Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif.”

GENERAL DEBATE: The chair deferred the government business by pending the Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability Bill 2005 to the next session to spare time for a general debate on police stations’ environment reforms proposals.

Deputy opposition leader Rana Sanaullah said most proposals in the CM’s initiative for improvement of the police stations were part of the Police Order 2002.

“Only three proposals are new which have been incorporated without taking the house into confidence,” he said while opposing the suggestions on mandatory registration of cases, qualities of SHO and introduction of shift system.

Amir Adil Usman, Arshad Baggu, Raja Riaz and Javed Siddiqui also opposed the proposed clauses in the proposals.

NEW BODIES: The Punjab Assembly elected members that would constitute standing committees on special education, professional management and commerce and investment.

The committee on special education would comprise Parliamentary Secretary for Agri-Marketing Aftab Ahmad Khan (PP-221), Parliamentary Secretary for Baitul Maal Malik Asif (PP-41), Rai Farooq Umar Khan Kharal (PP-185), Nasir Cheema (PP-97), Tanveer Aslam Malik (PP-21), Chaudhry Saqlain (PP-24), Sheikh Ijaz Ahmad (PP-72), Afzaal Mirza (PP-33), Rao Ijaz Ali Khan (PP-278) and Zaibunnisa Qureshi (W-382).

The professional management committee would have Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism Mrs Lubna Tariq (W-311), Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government and Rural Development Raja Rashid Hafeez (PP-11), Parliamentary Secretary for Housing and Urban Development Ijaz Husain Farhat (PP-20), Misbah Kaukab (W-306), Javed Allauddin Sajid (PP-186), Chaudhry Kashif Mahmood (PP-281), Syed Ehsanullah Waqas (PP-154), Dr Asad Ashraf (PP-138), Shahid Anjum (PP-284) and Amir Fida Paracha (PP-12) as its members.

The members of the committee on commerce and investment would be Parliamentary Secretary for Revenue Chaudhry Kamran Ali Khan (PP-7), Chaudhry Bilal Asghar (PP-84), Basma Riaz Chaudhry (PP-117), Sahibzada Muzammalur Rashid Abbasi (PP-268), Chaudhry Tasneem Nasir (PP-25), Syed Mujahid Ali Shah (PP-206), Dr Waseem Akhtar (PP-271), Sheikh Aziz Aslam (PP-297), Naveed Amer (NM-370) and Khalida Mansoor (W-356).

According to a notification issued by the Punjab Assembly Secretariat, the July 5 meeting of the house unanimously elected the committee members in pursuance of Rules 148, 149 and 150 of the Rules of Procedure of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab, 1997.

PROROGUED: The 25th session of the Punjab Assembly was prorogued on Wednesday afternoon.

Rai Ijaz, who was in the chair, read out the prorogation order of Governor Khalid Maqbool before the house.