LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly on Monday was informed that 50 per cent of 1.8 million arms licences issued in the province were fake.

Punjab Home Minister Shuja Khanzada on a point of order said there had been no record of 900,000 arms licences issued in Punjab.

“We are probing the matter with the help of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra),” he said, adding ban on the arms licences would be lifted for 15 days on Feb 15.

He said if the data did not match with the Nadra record the arms licence would not be issued to the applicant.

The home minister further said the Punjab government would take back arms from the fake licence holder. In Sindh the government had taken back 50,000 weapons from the fake licence holders.

“In the new licence policy, the data of the arms dealers and manufacturers will be online,” he added.

Law Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman said the chief minister had released Rs100 billion for the public sector schools and colleges. He said all education department officers would visit the schools and colleges and monitor security measures. He also said the chief minister had taken strict notice of fee increase by private schools and issued direction to the education department to look into the matter.

The house also adopted the Punjab Higher Education Commission Bill 2014 and the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute and Research Center Bill 2014.

The house extended the implementation of the Punjab Higher Education Commission Bill 2014 for 90 days. It was to be expired on Dec 31, 2014.

On a point of order Jamaat-i-Islami’s MPA Dr Wasim Akhtar protested against the US for fixing $10 million bounty on the head of Jamaatud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed and asked the government to seek explanation from the US government.

Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2014