LAHORE: The absence of ministers from the House marred proceedings of the Punjab Assembly on Tuesday as the acting speaker had to defer all five resolutions on the agenda.

Sher Ali Gorchani also informed the legislators that their 30 colleagues from the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf had been absent from the House for the last 40 days.

The acting speaker got infuriated on the absence of ministers, particularly Law Minister Mujtaba Shuja, when the House took up resolutions from private members on various matters of public concern. Technically, the law minister should be there to support or oppose, in most cases, the resolutions.

Then the chair put off the resolutions for another day and commented that the assembly session should be wrapped up if the cabinet members could not spare time to become part of its proceedings.

The House took up five adjournment motions to discuss issues of urgent importance. Four of these motions were moved by PML-N members to discuss improvements in medical services, impediments in devolution of power to the provinces, profiteering in the absence of a pricing mechanism and havoc wreaked due to torrential rains in the province. The fifth motion was moved by PML members over the sale of donkey meat in Bahawalpur.

Mr Gorchani also informed the House that 30 PTI lawmakers had been skipping proceedings for 40 consecutive days and under the rules of procedure the issue had to be brought to the notice of the House.

Under the rules, the membership of the PTI MPAs may stand revoked if any legislator tables a motion in this regard and the motion is accepted by the House.

Rule 36 regarding absence of an MPA without permission reads: “(1) If a member has been absent without leave of the Assembly for forty consecutive days of its sittings, the Speaker shall bring the fact to the notice of the Assembly and thereupon any member may move that the seat of the member who has been so absent be declared vacant.

(2) On consideration of the motion moved under sub-rule (1), the Assembly may defer, reject or accept the motion and if the motion is accepted, the seat of the member shall be declared vacant:

Provided that no such motion shall be considered before the expiry of seven days from the date on which the motion was moved.

(3) If the seat of the member is declared vacant, the Secretary shall cause a notification to that effect to be published in the Gazette and forward a copy of the notification to the Chief Election Commissioner.”

Published in Dawn, April 1st, 2015

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