June 29, 2007	Friday	Jamadi-us-Sani 13, 1428

LAHORE, June 28: Voices against the proposed privatisation of the Pakistan State Oil echoed in the Punjab Assembly from treasury benches on Thursday, urging the house to adopt a resolution against the move but the chair kept it pending.

On the private members day, treasury member Sheikh Alauddin presented a resolution pleading that the PSO should not be sold at any cost as it would be an act against national interest. “Why the state institutions in profit are being sold?” he asked.

Mr Alauddin informed the house that the PSO had been running in profit. Its last year profit was Rs30 billion and its annual trade volume was $6 billion. It had 3,700 filling stations across the country and a 78 per cent share in black and 57 per cent in white oil in the market, he added.

“The PSO sale can be dangerous from defence point of view. In case of emergency the state will have no control over petrol,” he said, asking the chair to adopt a resolution and convey the legislators’ concern to the federal government. Fellow treasury members Waris Kanu and Ahmad Ali Malik joined him.

Mr Kanu described the PSO as a ‘jugular vein’ of the country while Mr Malik urged the government to stop the process of its privatisation.

Responding to it, industries minister Ajmal Cheema said that since the matter came under the purview of the federal government, the house could neither comment on it nor adopt a resolution.

Nazar Farid Khokhar, who was in the chair, kept the matter pending. The chair, however, adopted another resolution presented by Mr Alauddin against the plunder of Hindu property in Punjab. The resolution also sought implementation of provision protecting the informer under section 10\11.

MMA’s Arshad Baggu informed the chair that Wapda had been charging commercial rates on streetlights from the town municipal administrations. Treasury’s Armaghan Subhani clarified that the rate was less than that of domestic. Mr Baggu said he would withdraw the resolution if the minister would furnish him with relevant documents.

Treasury member Advocate Misbah Kokab presented a resolution seeking installation of water treatment plants throughout Punjab on the pattern of those installed in the Lahore Cantonment. On behalf of the law minister, Special Education Minister Dr Tahir Ali Javed opposed the move saying that the government had already installed water treatment plants in nine union councils of Lahore and was taking steps to provide the facility in the remaining 141 UCs.

He said the government would install ones treatment plant in every town with a population of at least 1,000 people. The chair disposed of the resolution.

The opposition members protested against the federal government’s decision of increasing Haj fares. Law minister Basharat Raja assured them that their concern would be conveyed to the centre.

During the question hour, MMA’s Ehsanullah Waqas said the Punjab government should announce an aid of at least Rs50 million for rain-hit people of Balochistan. Basharat Raja promised to convey the suggestion to the chief minister.