Out of 12 newly elected members of provincial assembly in the recently held bye-election, 10 took oath during the seventh session of the Punjab Assembly here Thursday.
The newly elected members of the assembly include Qasim Zia PP-59, Qaisar Iqbal Sindhu PP-99, Zulifqar Gondal PP-118, Rana Sanaullah PP-70, Rana Shamim Ahmad PP-124, Syed Zaeem Hussain Qadri PP-154, Rana Muhammad Arshad PP-171, Sardar Wajid Ali Dogar PP-129, Sardar Zulifqar Ali Khan Khosa, Mirza Fida Hussain PP-277, Karam Dad Wahla PP-219, Syed Harun Sultan Bokhari PP-258. The opposition boycotted the ongoing session.
Although Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal asked treasury members to contact and persuade them to end boycott, but Rana Sanaullah Law Minister told the Speaker that they were not in the Assembly. Speaking in the House Sardar Zulifqar Ali Khan Khosa hoped that the assembly would complete its five-year term.
Qasim Zia in his address said that it was because of political acumen of Benazir Bhutto that democracy restored in the country.
Rana Sanaullah said that 'march' toward democracy would not stop in the country. With a number of Call Attention Notices and Adjournment Motions tabled during the day, the Amendment of Rule 24 that for sub-rule (3) of rule 24 of the Rules of the Procedure of Provincial Assembly of Punjab 1997'(3) A sitting of the Assembly shall commence with recitation of Holy Quran followed by Urdu translation, after which a Naat may also been recited was referred to the Committee by the Chair.
Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said that this reference to the Committee was just for structuring of the Amendment and the spirit to the needful was already in existence, he added.
Members of MMA along with others on the occasion chanted slogans against sending of the Amendment to the Committee asking the Chair to pass it first and then do the other formalities.
Journalists covering the assembly proceeding boycotted the session against "Qabza Mafia" of encroaching lands in Journalists Housing Scheme. They were brought back in the assembly later by the MPAs.
Sajida Mir, a legislator of PPP, vociferously put the case of journalists in the House on the occasion. She dilated that journalists had suffered miseries and pains in support of democracy and it was high time that their demands, which are basic to their survival, were met forthwith.
Minister Higher Education Ali Ahmad Oulak in reply to a question put forth by MPA Rana Munawar during in the question & answer session averred that Chief Justice of High Court or Judge were members in syndicate of universities in Punjab.
He, however, informed that in three universities in the Province. I.e., Government College University Faisalabad; University of Sargodha; University of Gujrat, they were not in the syndicate.
Responding a query by MPA Nasir Ahmad and supplementary question by another MPA he said that in 1987 both male and female and in 1991only female having MA (Physical Education) were appointed as DPO s through Punjab Public Service Commission in grade 16 while DPOs having MA (Physical Education) were given Grade 17(Personal).
Rana Sanaullah said that Public Service Commission was an independent institution He said without interfering in its independence, capacity of the institution was being enhanced. Later speaker prorogued the house for indefinite period.