Punjab Assembly approves 12 Bills

LAHORE: Punjab Assembly passed on Wednesday 12 bills while suspending the regular legislative procedure for half of these bills.

The third sitting of the 36th session of the current assembly was started three hours and five minutes behind its schedule with Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal in the chair.

The House passed the Bills include: the Punjab Witness Protection Bill 2018, the Punjab Government Servants Housing Foundation (Amendment) Bill 2018, the Punjab University of Technology Rasul Bill 2018, the Punjab Bonded Labour System (Abolition) (Amendment) Bill 2018, the Explosive Substances (Punjab Amendment)? Bill 2018, the Registration (Punjab Amendment) Bill 2018, the Registration (Punjab Second Amendment) Bill 2018, the Punjab Land Revenue (Amendment) Bill 2018 and the Punjab Agricultural Marketing Regulatory Authority Bill 2018.

Three of these bills were considered after suspension of the requirements of Rule 95 of the Assembly's Rules of Procedure bills.

The Rule provides the procedure for consideration of a bill after the report of the concerned standing committee on the bill is presented in the House.

Provincial Minister for Human Rights and Minorities Affairs Khalil Tahir Sandhu introduced the Punjab Fertilizers Bill 2018. The House referred the bill to the relevant standing committee with the direction to submit its report earlier than May 28, 2018.

The Minister also introduced the Drugs (Punjab Amendment) Bill 2018, the Punjab Legal Aid Bill 2018 and the Punjab Criminal Prosecution Service Inspectorate Bill 2018. The House took the bills in to consideration and passed them after suspending the regular legislative procedure which requires every bill to go through committee stage before its consideration for passage.

Minister for Agriculture Naeem Akhtar Bhabha and Saif Chattha, Parliamentary Secretary for Environment Protection gave answers to questions by lawmakers regarding their respective departments.

Combined opposition staged a protest against remarks of former prime minister regarding Mumbai attack. The protesting lawmakers wanted to move an out-of-turn resolution against the former premier; however the Chair did not entertain the motion.

PTI lawmaker Arif Abbasi identified the quorum and it was found incomplete after ringing of bells for five minutes.      The Chair adjourned the House to meet again on May 17 (Thursday) at 10 a.m.