LAHORE: In a landslide move, a special committee of the Punjab Assembly has passed amendments to the assembly’s rules of business, empowering the standing committees to take suo motu actions in their respective areas.

The MPAs have been demanding the powers since the 14th house (2002-08) of the provincial assembly and successive governments have been dragging their feet after making only promises to the effect.

The Special Committee-II, headed by Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, held its maiden meeting on Thursday and considered proposed amendments aimed at reforming the assembly’s operational procedures and strengthening governance, specifically with regards to the Rules of Procedure of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab, 1997.

Taking inspiration from the National Assembly, the Senate as well as other legislatures around the world, the panel passed the amendments aimed at “enhancing the legislative process, making it efficient, transparent, and accountable”.

Punjabi, Seraiki among indigenous languages to be allowed in PA

A significant amendment is granting suo motu powers to the standing committees, allowing them to independently examine matters without needing prior approval from the speaker. This change is intended to enhance the committees’ effectiveness and responsiveness, making the legislature more democratic.

The committee also suggested including indigenous languages, like Punjabi, Seraiki, Pothohari and Mewati, as the languages of the house proceedings alongside Urdu and English. Earlier, a member had to seek special permission from the chair to speak in a language other than Urdu or English. The participants in the panel saw this move as a step towards decolonisation and to reflect and respect linguistic diversity of Punjab’s population, promoting inclusivity within legislative discussions.

The body also proposed a code of conduct for the legislators designed to uphold ethical standards, integrity, and accountability among members, thereby enhancing the assembly’s credibility.

It decided to designate the existing Business Advisory Committee as the ‘Committee on Ethics’ responsible for reviewing and ensuring implementation of the code, establishing its procedural rules, and undertaking additional functions as assigned by the speaker.

The committee also considered measures to ensure and encourage public access to the assembly by accepting public petitions, either in hard or soft copy, on any issue and report to the house after collecting evidence as well as suggest remedial measures.The committees have also been allowed to make their proceedings public if them deemed fit.

Another major proposal under review was mandating that resolutions unanimously adopted by the house be binding on the cabinet. This ensures that such resolutions are implemented as part of the cabinet’s collective responsibility, reinforcing the assembly’s legislative authority.

Speaker Khan said that standing committees played a crucial role in the functioning of the parliamentary system of government, ensuring a system of checks and balances, and their establishment is a shared responsibility of all political parties.

The meeting commended Advocate Usama Khawar for his efforts regarding drafting the amendments to the rules of procedure of the assembly.

Senior parliamentarians, both from the treasury and opposition, attended the meeting. Samiullah Khan, Ahmed Iqbal Chaudhry, Saeed Akbar Nawani, and Amina Hassan represented the treasury while Rana Aftab Ahmad Khan, Ahmer Rashid Bhatti, whose father has advocated for Punjab language in the Assembly for decades, and Junaid Afzal Sahi represented the opposition benches.

Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2024