ISLAMABAD: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has demanded that a new census be conducted within a month, and that work on delimitations should begin subsequently, DawnNews reported.

MQM MNA S.A. Iqbal Qadri presented the resolution on the behalf of his party at the Wednesday session of National Assembly, which was chaired by the Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi.

MQM MNA Iqbal Qadri also presented a resolution regarding the attacks on polio workers in Karachi and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The resolution demanded the immediate arrest and punishment of culprits. It also called for compensation to be given to the heirs of the deceased and those injured in the attacks.

The resolution also stated that the anti-polio campaign must not be stopped and the federal and provincial governments should provide all polio workers full security.

Many members of the assembly protested against the absence of ministers at the beginning of the assembly session, due to which the session had to be adjourned temporarily to restore order.

A Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) Member of National Assembly (MNA) demanded that the absent ministers should be prohibited from entering the Parliament House and their salaries to be stopped.

Another MNA of the Awami National Party (ANP) demanded that all those ministers who neglected their responsibilities be discharged from their duties.

When the session was resumed after the short adjournment, Federal Law Minister Farooq H Naek presented the Electoral Laws Amendment Bill 2012. Deputy Speaker Kundi sent the bill to the Standing Committee for Law and Justice for review.

Parliamentary Secretary for Treasury Sajidul Hasan told the assembly that Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf had met with the chief ministers of all four provinces.

During a questions-answer session, the interior minister informed the assembly in writing of the increase in car thefts in Islamabad. In the last two years, 930 cars and 200 motorcycles have been stolen from the capital. Two thousand, three hundred and thirty-four police personnel are assigned to protect the VIPs and VVIPs. This includes 43 lady constables, 1,607 constables, 309 head constables and 104 sub-inspectors. In the last three years, dual identity cards of 59,743 had been cancelled.

The parliamentary secretary for interior Rai Mujtaba Kharal said that the duration of public passports had been extended up to 10 years, while the summary on the extension of official passports’ duration was currently under progress.

The session was subsequently adjourned to 11am on Thursday.