LAHORE, Oct 21: Minister for Law Raja Bashrat informed the Punjab Assembly on Tuesday that the ban on extravagant marriage meals could not be implemented up to the desired level.

Responding to a question by MPA Saba Sadiq, the minister said that the Auqaf department drafted the law but later the matter was handed over to the local government department.

Police were not involved in implementing the law for the fear of abuse of power and corruption. But local committees were formed to ensure compliance. Unfortunately, the results have not been up to the desired level.

He proposed constitution of a house committee to look into the matter and suggest changes in the law. Otherwise, the matter should be referred to the committee of the home department or local government for the same purpose. The chair referred it the home department though the opposition wanted it to go the local government.

The minister informed the house that the federal government promulgated a marriage ordinance on March 15, 1997, banning meals on marriage. The Marriage Halls’ Association went to court and got the ruling against it.

The Supreme Court asked the provincial governments to legislate on their own if they want to put such ban.

The Punjab government allowed one-dish at walima receptions for only 300 guests.

The question hour was related to the Auqaf department, the Minister Auqaf, Khadam Wattoo, came under repeated attacks by the opposition for being not fully prepared.

Minister for Auqaf Khadim Wattoo came under repeated attacks by the opposition during the question hour for being not fully prepared.

Sheikh Amjad Aziz from Lahore un-nerved the minister when he read names of the committee members looking after the shrine of Data Ganj Bakhsh. It included names of almost all mentionable politicians from Lahore. Unable to justify, Mr Wattoo maintained that it was not unprecedented and did not prove any violation of rules.

The minister was also unable to give a satisfactory answer to the question of Shafqat Khan Abbasi who wanted to know whether or not any progress had been made in investigation on the theft of slippers of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him).

The minister only reiterated the earlier stance of the Punjab government that no clue had been found. The Pakistan’s High Commission in the UK has not verified any such report that the holy slippers had been smuggled to Britain.

The officials in charge of the holy slippers have already been suspended from the service. The house was of the opinion that they should have been dismissed from service.

The minister’s preference to ask for fresh questions instead of answering supplementary questions drew funny remarks from almost all the opposition members.

The minister informed the house that during 2000-01, the income from the shrine of Data Ganj Bakhsh was Rs84.19 million which rose to Rs94.18 million in the next year.

“There is also been a Jahez committee that provides dowry to 17 girls every month. As a matter of policy, only household items are provided but 17 girls were given Rs3,000 each in July 2002 for want of time.

“The income from the shrine is deposited in the central Auqaf fund and is redirected to meet the expenditure of Data Darbar Hospital,” the minister said.

During 2000-01, a sum of Rs7.13 million was spent on the hospital and Rs36 million in 2001-02, Mr Wattoo said, and added “the management also distributes among the deserving on a monthly basis wheat, rice and other eatable donated to the shrine.”

Responding to a question by Mehr Khalid, the minister denied that there were any encroachments on graveyard land in Jhang district. There were eight graveyards adjacent to the same number of shrines in the district but no encroachments had been reported on them.

The minister said that there might be some encroachments on other graveyards’ land, but certainly not on those under the control of the Auqaf department.