QUETTA: BA speakers’ salaries, privileges bill approved
By Amanullah Kasi
QUETTA, Aug 11: The provincial assembly on Saturday passed the Balochistan Assembly Speaker Salaries, Allowances and Privileges (Amendment) Bill, 2007 under which the speakers after the completion of four years’ tenure will be entitled to more perks and facilities.
Provincial Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Mir Abdur Rehman Jamali tabled the bill which was exempted from articles 84 and 85 of the Rules of Balochistan Assembly, 1974. Deputy Speaker Mohammad Aslam Bhootani chaired the session.
Under the amended bill, the speakers shall be entitled to the following facilities at government expenses: (a) one driver; (b) free access to provincial government’s rest houses in the country and; (c) free installation of official telephone at the residence with free billing of Rs2,000 per month.
The house also passed the Balochistan Government Employees Housing Foundation Bill, 2007.
The chair disposed of three adjournment motions of opposition members -- Jan Muhammad Buledi, Abdur Rahim Ziaratwal and Rehmatullah Baloch -- after assurances by the ministers concerned for their solution.
A joint motion of the three opposition members was about the unpleasant relationship between the vice-chancellor of the Balochistan University and some teachers. The chair disposed of the motion when the minister for services and general administration department assured the house that the treasury bench would back the opposition members’ resolution when it would be tabled on Monday.
On the motion of Mr Ziaratwal, the chair said that the assembly secretariat would write letters to the provincial police department and the management of Qesco for the protection of railway track between Bostan and Zhob and electricity poles in the Panjgur area. There is no train service between Bostan and Zhob since 1980. The mover said that police should register FIRs against people involved in stealing the railway track. He said the federal government had allocated funds in the PSDP for 2007-08 for widening the narrow cage railway track to restart the train service on this section.
