LAHORE, Sept 29: The Privilege Committee of the Punjab Assembly on Thursday decided in principle to amend the Privileges Act for allowing MPAs to visit jail(s) in the district from where he/she had been elected to the house.

Earlier, the MPAs were allowed to visit only the jail situated in his/her constituency.

The decision was taken during proceedings of a privilege motion filed by PPP MPA Imtiaz Jehanzeb Gill against the Faisalabad jail authorities for not allowing him to visit the prison.

The MPAs would be required to submit prior information to the relevant jail’s authorities.

It also decided that women and minority members elected on reserved seats would be allowed to visit, as non-official visitors, the jail of the district where they were residing. In case there was no jail in the district, they could visit the jail to which prisoners of their district(s) were referred.

The committee directed the jails department to come up with its suggestions for amending the act so that these could be taken up with the law department.

Meanwhile, no proceedings could take place regarding the domestic violence bill stuck with the home affairs committee for the last two and half years because the mover, Dr Anjum Amjad, was not present in the meeting on Thursday.—Staff Reporter