LAHORE, Oct 9: Dependant family members of the Punjab ministers, special assistants, advisers, parliamentary secretaries and members of the provincial assembly will get medical treatment at government expense.

The entitlement was granted through the Punjab Revision of Medical Facilities of Public Representatives Act 2006, passed by the provincial legislature on Monday.

The new law was enacted three months or so after the passage of the Punjab Revision of Emoluments of Public Representative Bill 2006 on July 3.

According to the new law, parents, spouses, real and step sons and daughters, entirely dependant upon members of the Punjab Assembly and the parliamentary secretaries would also be entitled to free indoor and outdoor medical facilities of the standard admissible to a Class I officer of the government.

The bill further says that wholly dependant parents, spouses, real and step sons and daughters of the provincial ministers, assembly speaker, deputy speaker, special assistants and advisers will be entitled to medical facilities admissible under the Special Medical Attendance Rules, 1950.

The other three amendment bills passed on Monday were the Punjab Local Government (Amendment) Bill 2006, the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, (Amendment) Bill 2006 and the Canal and Drainage (Amendment) Bill 2006.

Deputy Opposition Leader Rana Sanaullah raised a point of order when Law Minister Raja Basharat moved the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, (Amendment) Bill 2006. He said the amendment suggested by the opposition in clause III of the draft law had not been included in the bill moved by the minister.

MMA’s Arshad Baggu requested Speaker Afzal Sahi to let Mr Rana move the proposed amendment and return the draft law to the business advisory committee of the house.

Mr Rana moved the proposed amendment according to which if the varsity syndicate was to take up an appeal against the orders of the vice-chancellor, either the pro-chancellor or chancellor should preside over the meeting. The VC should not attend such proceedings to ensure fair play and justice.

“We want to make the education minister the pro-chancellor of the agri varsity by incorporating the amendment,” said the deputy opposition leader.

The law minister opposed the move but Mr Baggu said the amendment was proposed keeping in view of the Federal Shariat Court’s Tuesday last directions that the VC should not attend the syndicate meeting if he had recommended any action against any officer or teacher of the university concerned.

PPP’s Azma Bokhari and MMA’s Samiullah also requested the chair to include the amendment in the bill. The chair opted for the house consent and the bill was passed as the treasury benches were almost full at that time.

The Rana from Faisalabad raised a point of order when the Raja from Rawalpindi laid the Punjab Border Military Police (Amendment) Ordinance 2006.

“The ordinance is the amended form of the North-West Border Military Police Act 1904 which has neither been opted nor legislated by the Punjab Assembly. Furthermore, Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur have been declared tribal areas of the Punjab whereas under the police and the local government laws the two areas have been notified as districts,” Mr Rana said and added making the said ordinance public would create confusion. According to the 1973 Constitution, there was no tribal area in Punjab.

The law minister said the ordinance had merely been laid before the house and Mr Rana should express all his reservations about it in the standing committee meeting.

The chair referred the ordinance to the standing committee before adjourning the house to meet again on Tuesday at 10 am.

Question HOUR: Speaker Afzal Sahi directed that road construction should be done on merit.

He gave the directions while chairing the question hour in which queries relating to Communication and Works Department were taken up by the house.