LAHORE, Nov 24: Law Minister Basharat Raja on Thursday said the Punjab Assembly had done record legislation during its three-year tenure, alleging that the opposition’s interest in law making was declining He was speaking at a news conference here at the civil secretariat while announcing the completion of the assembly’s third parliamentary year.

Mr Raja said the assembly had passed 51 acts mainly related to reforms in education, health and agriculture sectors and welfare of the people in the shape of relief in agriculture and property taxes. Other laws were about the journalists and government servants colonies.

He said the assembly had passed the largest number of laws since 1985. The government was serving the people wholeheartedly under the leadership of Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi, he said.

The minister said the continuation of the democratic system in the country was a source of satisfaction for the democratic forces whereas the opposition was playing the politics of “wait and see”.

He said where the government was making record legislation the opposition’s interest was declining which reflected from the amendments it suggested to all laws during the last three years.

The assembly passed 14 bills in 2003, 23 in 2004 and 14 in 2005. The suggested amendments by MMA were nine, 79 and 64, the PPP seven, 42 and 20 and the PML-N six, 27 and six, he said.

To a question, he said it was wrong to assume that the government was not giving funds to the opposition. It had given Rs1107.711m for their development schemes of which Rs629.63 million had been spent.