In a resolution passed unanimously by the Punjab Assembly here on Friday, the House has demanded of the Federal government to allow the provincial dispensation for exporting wheat falling beyond its use.
MMA’s Ali Haider Noor Khan Niazi presented a resolution where it was maintained that in 2009, despite financial constraints and beyond its annual use of three million tons of wheat, the Punjab govt had to purchase 5.782million tons of wheat in order to avoid financial crisis of the farmers though the govt had to borrow Rs 130 billion. In 2010, 3.722m tons of the wheat was purchased though 2.9m tons were still in the stores, which added to the debt burden. Resultantly, the provincial govt was under debt to the tune of Rs 186bn, and paying interest as well.
“The Provincial govt has repeatedly demanded of the federal govt to make arrangements for export of extra wheat, but no positive progress has been made so far. On the arrival of next crop, the stock of 3.8 million tons ton wheat is expected out of which 0.8m tons of wheat will be surplus to the next year’s total requirement. The quantity of 2.5 m tons of wheat is also included in the huge quantity of 3.8m ton of wheat, which was procured for the needs of the federal govt, which has not made any arrangements for its supply or disposal so far. If the possible target of wheat procurement is fixed 4m tons for the next year like the previous year, the provincial govt will have to stock 7.8m tons of wheat for which financial and administrative expenses will be unbearable for the provincial government. Under such circumstances, immediate steps for export of extra wheat have become inevitable as in the presence of stock of 3.8m ton, neither banks would provide the desired amounts nor Punjab Food Department would make arrangements of stock of wheat and other requirements. This reflects the worst situation which demands immediate steps to cope with this situation, otherwise, there is every likelihood to cause irreparable loss to the farmers and agri-economy of Punjab which, in fact, will be a serious set back to the socio-economic structure of the country. Therefore, this Assembly demands federal government to take immediate steps for ensuring export of extra wheat,” said the resolution.
Earlier, the Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan did not allow two minority members Joel Aamir Sahotra and Pervaiz Rafique bring a resolution again demanding of the federal govt to initiate proper legislation against the misuse of 295 B/C (blasphemy law). They also wanted that a judicial commission should be constituted to impartially probe all cases registered as per the blasphemy law. After Speaker’s denial to grant them permission, they walked out of the House. However, they were brought back to the House and the Speaker welcomed them. The members repeatedly made futile attempts to speak, but the speaker did not allow them asserting it was ‘very sensitive issue’. Even PPP minister Ashraf Sohna could not speak, while Ali Haider Niazi could warn, “we will not allow anyone to even think for making amendments in the blasphemy law.”
The Speaker also asked PPP’s Senior Minister Punjab Minister Raja Riaz Ahmed not to use indecent words, which could irk the Opposition. This was done when PML-Q’s Seemal Kamran pointed out what she considered ‘non-serious attitude of the Senior Minister’. As a protest, she walked out from the floor demanding “the Senior Minister should behave like parliamentarians.” She was duly supported by her colleague Dr Samia Amjad, who requested the Speaker to take notice of the Minister.
On a Point of Order Raja Riaz rejected the WikiLeaks, and asserted this was just a conspiracy to create rift among the Muslim countries. He wanted that all must condemn the conspiracy and the culprits should be punished, while the PPP had already rejected the cables.
Later, the House considered Privilege Motions, but kept pending on the request of Law Minister Rana Sana Ullah. However, Adjournment Motions, pended during the 20th session, were disposed off after reply by the Law Minister, who also laid the Annual Report on Observance and Implementation of Principles of Policy for the year 2009. He also introduced the Provincial Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill 2010, which was referred to the standing committee with the direction to submit its report in one month.
Earlier, the Speaker announced the names of MPAs for the panel of chairmen, which include Mian Yawar Zaman, Mian Mohsin Latif, Amanullah Dreshak and Ms Bushra Gardezi. A newly elected MPA Raina Rizvi also took oath. The House offered Fateha for the former parliamentarian Haji Maqsood Butt and for the relatives of the parliamentarians and bureaucrats, who had died recently.
Showing posts with label Legislation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Legislation. Show all posts
Thursday, December 23
PPP-N collusion thwart anti RGST PA resolution
Despite PML-N bashing by two PPP ministers, the coalition partners – certainly for a common cause – at the Punjab Assembly on Tuesday discreetly colluded against the Opposition to thwart latter’s resolution against the Reformed General Sales Tax when against parliamentary tradition, a Treasury member pointed out quorum on a Private Members’ Day.
Surely this bailed out the PML-N from taking a clear stance about the RGST at the provincial level, while the PPP was able to help its seniors sitting in Islamabad securing ‘no reply’ on the subject from the highest house of the biggest province. The resolution was an appeal to the Federal government not to take decision of levying the RGST.
Much to the annoyance of the Opposition members, who also shouted ‘shame’ for the Treasury benches, the Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan adjourned the House till Wednesday morning 10 am after the government desks successfully made it certain that the House does not stay quorate after PPP’s apparently-annoyed MPA Syed Hassan Murtaza had pointed out the inquorate House after the Speaker had allowed him neither to bring ‘a supposed Adjournment Motion’ nor speak.
After a delayed start to the day’s proceedings, when the House was through with the Question-Hour, only two Adjournment Motions had been picked up for discussion, on a Point of Order Hassan tried to seek out the Speaker to present an out-of-turn Adjournment Motion, which was declined despite repeated pleadings from the MPA. “This has been pre-decided with the parliamentary leaders of all political parties in the Business Advisory Committee meeting that no out-of-turn Adjournment Motions will be considered,” mentioned the Speaker clearly to an adamant Member, who averred. “This is none of my fault if the parliamentary leader does not speak for his members,” opined the MPA, while the Speaker was in a state of denial thoroughly, and did not allow Hassan to say anything further, and the latter ‘used the option of pointing out the quorum as per his sweet will’ despite the fact that the Speaker observed, “You (Hassan) are a Treasury member, and on a Private Members’ Day, you are not supposed to do this”.
Counting, 5-minute bell-ringing and recounting with no one being serious about calling members to the Floor, proved that the House had only 55-members in attendance; hence the Speaker adjourned the House, which annoyed the Opposition, and its member Dr Samia Amjad perhaps rightly pointed out that all drama was enacted to avoid RGST resolution, and to her, the PML-N was party to it.
This episode inside the House initiated a spree of bartering allegations among the prominent players of the political parties, who made all-out efforts for putting the onus of the ‘annoying episode’ on to the other/s.
Punjab Law Minister Rana Sana Ullah, while talking to the media outside the Assembly, offered the PML-Q to reintroduce the resolution, and assured that the Treasury would not hinder it. “The appropriate forum for addressing this issue is the National Assembly,” he advised the Opposition, while adding that the Q-League wanted to bring the resolution in order to lessen its embarrassment caused to it because of its ‘hypocrisy’ when it staged walkout from the Senate to help the Treasury there in getting the RGST recommendation passed by the highest house of Pakistan. “The bunch of opportunists will never choose the right forum for opposing the RGST,” he commented.
In a media talk, Hassan Murtaza denied the assertion that his act of pointing out the inquorate House was aimed at supporting his Party’s national government, and asserted that keeping the quorum intact was not his responsibility. He also rejected the contention that he had an understanding with his party leadership on the issue of pointing out quorum.
Opposition members Dr Samia Amjad, mover of the resolution Khalid Javaid Asghar, Aamir Sultan Cheema, Khadija Umer Farooqi and Majida Zaidi were of the considered opinion that as part of an understanding with the PPP, N-League MPAs left the Floor when the resolution was about to be moved.
Surely this bailed out the PML-N from taking a clear stance about the RGST at the provincial level, while the PPP was able to help its seniors sitting in Islamabad securing ‘no reply’ on the subject from the highest house of the biggest province. The resolution was an appeal to the Federal government not to take decision of levying the RGST.
Much to the annoyance of the Opposition members, who also shouted ‘shame’ for the Treasury benches, the Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan adjourned the House till Wednesday morning 10 am after the government desks successfully made it certain that the House does not stay quorate after PPP’s apparently-annoyed MPA Syed Hassan Murtaza had pointed out the inquorate House after the Speaker had allowed him neither to bring ‘a supposed Adjournment Motion’ nor speak.
After a delayed start to the day’s proceedings, when the House was through with the Question-Hour, only two Adjournment Motions had been picked up for discussion, on a Point of Order Hassan tried to seek out the Speaker to present an out-of-turn Adjournment Motion, which was declined despite repeated pleadings from the MPA. “This has been pre-decided with the parliamentary leaders of all political parties in the Business Advisory Committee meeting that no out-of-turn Adjournment Motions will be considered,” mentioned the Speaker clearly to an adamant Member, who averred. “This is none of my fault if the parliamentary leader does not speak for his members,” opined the MPA, while the Speaker was in a state of denial thoroughly, and did not allow Hassan to say anything further, and the latter ‘used the option of pointing out the quorum as per his sweet will’ despite the fact that the Speaker observed, “You (Hassan) are a Treasury member, and on a Private Members’ Day, you are not supposed to do this”.
Counting, 5-minute bell-ringing and recounting with no one being serious about calling members to the Floor, proved that the House had only 55-members in attendance; hence the Speaker adjourned the House, which annoyed the Opposition, and its member Dr Samia Amjad perhaps rightly pointed out that all drama was enacted to avoid RGST resolution, and to her, the PML-N was party to it.
This episode inside the House initiated a spree of bartering allegations among the prominent players of the political parties, who made all-out efforts for putting the onus of the ‘annoying episode’ on to the other/s.
Punjab Law Minister Rana Sana Ullah, while talking to the media outside the Assembly, offered the PML-Q to reintroduce the resolution, and assured that the Treasury would not hinder it. “The appropriate forum for addressing this issue is the National Assembly,” he advised the Opposition, while adding that the Q-League wanted to bring the resolution in order to lessen its embarrassment caused to it because of its ‘hypocrisy’ when it staged walkout from the Senate to help the Treasury there in getting the RGST recommendation passed by the highest house of Pakistan. “The bunch of opportunists will never choose the right forum for opposing the RGST,” he commented.
In a media talk, Hassan Murtaza denied the assertion that his act of pointing out the inquorate House was aimed at supporting his Party’s national government, and asserted that keeping the quorum intact was not his responsibility. He also rejected the contention that he had an understanding with his party leadership on the issue of pointing out quorum.
Opposition members Dr Samia Amjad, mover of the resolution Khalid Javaid Asghar, Aamir Sultan Cheema, Khadija Umer Farooqi and Majida Zaidi were of the considered opinion that as part of an understanding with the PPP, N-League MPAs left the Floor when the resolution was about to be moved.
PA passes Punjab Industrial Relations Bill
– As part of the virtually only legislation of the 21st session, the Punjab Assembly on Wednesday passed the Punjab Industrial Relations Bill 2010 with the majority of voice votes.
The Opposition moved 12 amendments, and it did not press ten of them, while perhaps through a consensus, its two amendments were carried. However, the Opposition opposed the Bill and didn’t endorse any clause of the Bill.
Earlier, the Punjab government had initially promulgated an Ordinance in the name of Industrial Relations Ordinance on June 13 as all the labour matters were a federal subject before passage of the 18th Amendment. Now the labour ministry was devolved to the provinces. As the ordinance was promulgated by the Punjab government and it could not be re-promulgated so there was necessary to get the nod of the provincial assembly in this regard.
The Bill was moved by the Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, who informed the House that the Standing Committee of the Assembly had consulted and taken into the confidence all stakeholders including employers, workers (labourers) and the legal experts.
After the passage of the Industrial Relation Bill, workers of an establishment employing not less than 50 workers can establish and join a union or association. However, a worker shall not be entitled to be a member of more than one trade union at any one time and no joining another trade.
A person who has been convicted of any offence under the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) shall be disqualified from being elected office bearer of the trade union.
Under the new laws, no office bearer of a trade union shall be transferred or dismissed during the pending of an application for registration of the trade union. It envisages cancellation of a trade union’s registration upon getting less than 15 per cent votes now in two referendums to be held seeking the status of a collective bargaining agent.
Any trade union may under the signatures of its president and secretary apply to the Registrar.
The Bill also aims to involve a maximum number of staff members in trade union activities, the representation of staff members of a workplace in its trade union has been enhanced from the previous 75 percent to 80 per cent to minimize influence of non-staff trade unionists.
On the other hand, at the same time, the new laws also empower the government to order breaking of any illegal strike or lockout, or make them approach court for a decision.
The law concentrates powers of the registrar of trade unions, which previously were scattered, to eliminate ambiguity. It enhances fine for non-implementation of decisions by labour courts or the Punjab labour appellate tribunals on individual complaints from the existing Rs 20,000 to Rs 500,000.
About to ensure justice the new laws allow CBA unions and employers to approach a labour court for the redress of a complaint. It also empowers labour courts to grant interim relief in any case. In the federal law there was no such provision. The law enhances trial period of labour cases from the previous seven days to 90 and 120 days.
It also introduces minimum amounts of fine for its various violations. The Bill allows handing over of all affairs of the National Industrial Relations Commission to labour appellate tribunals, labour courts and registrar of trade unions so as to ensure continuity of trade union activities and other related matters without any break.
According to the Bill, its laws will not apply to any person who is an employ of Police or any of the Defence Services directly or connected with the Armed Forces including an ordnance factory maintained by the federal government.
The law minister Rana Sanaullah also introduced the Qarshi University Mureedke Bill 2010 that was referred to the standing committee.
The Opposition moved 12 amendments, and it did not press ten of them, while perhaps through a consensus, its two amendments were carried. However, the Opposition opposed the Bill and didn’t endorse any clause of the Bill.
Earlier, the Punjab government had initially promulgated an Ordinance in the name of Industrial Relations Ordinance on June 13 as all the labour matters were a federal subject before passage of the 18th Amendment. Now the labour ministry was devolved to the provinces. As the ordinance was promulgated by the Punjab government and it could not be re-promulgated so there was necessary to get the nod of the provincial assembly in this regard.
The Bill was moved by the Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, who informed the House that the Standing Committee of the Assembly had consulted and taken into the confidence all stakeholders including employers, workers (labourers) and the legal experts.
After the passage of the Industrial Relation Bill, workers of an establishment employing not less than 50 workers can establish and join a union or association. However, a worker shall not be entitled to be a member of more than one trade union at any one time and no joining another trade.
A person who has been convicted of any offence under the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) shall be disqualified from being elected office bearer of the trade union.
Under the new laws, no office bearer of a trade union shall be transferred or dismissed during the pending of an application for registration of the trade union. It envisages cancellation of a trade union’s registration upon getting less than 15 per cent votes now in two referendums to be held seeking the status of a collective bargaining agent.
Any trade union may under the signatures of its president and secretary apply to the Registrar.
The Bill also aims to involve a maximum number of staff members in trade union activities, the representation of staff members of a workplace in its trade union has been enhanced from the previous 75 percent to 80 per cent to minimize influence of non-staff trade unionists.
On the other hand, at the same time, the new laws also empower the government to order breaking of any illegal strike or lockout, or make them approach court for a decision.
The law concentrates powers of the registrar of trade unions, which previously were scattered, to eliminate ambiguity. It enhances fine for non-implementation of decisions by labour courts or the Punjab labour appellate tribunals on individual complaints from the existing Rs 20,000 to Rs 500,000.
About to ensure justice the new laws allow CBA unions and employers to approach a labour court for the redress of a complaint. It also empowers labour courts to grant interim relief in any case. In the federal law there was no such provision. The law enhances trial period of labour cases from the previous seven days to 90 and 120 days.
It also introduces minimum amounts of fine for its various violations. The Bill allows handing over of all affairs of the National Industrial Relations Commission to labour appellate tribunals, labour courts and registrar of trade unions so as to ensure continuity of trade union activities and other related matters without any break.
According to the Bill, its laws will not apply to any person who is an employ of Police or any of the Defence Services directly or connected with the Armed Forces including an ordnance factory maintained by the federal government.
The law minister Rana Sanaullah also introduced the Qarshi University Mureedke Bill 2010 that was referred to the standing committee.
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