ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz yesterday came under severe criticism for extending the current National Assembly session by a day ostensibly with the intention to get the “Commissions of Inquiry Bill, 2016” passed.
The current session was to be prorogued yesterday as per business advisory committee, but the government extended it by one more day.
“What is the reason behind extending the session without taking business advisory committee into confidence because the house was to be prorogued today as per schedule?” questioned PPP MNA Aijaz Jhakrani, speaking on a point of order.
Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi, responding to the PPP’s lawmaker, argued the government had all the right to extend the session for one more day.
Aijaz Jhakrani, while talking to The Nation after the NA session, cast doubts on the intentions of the government for extending the session for one more day only, saying it wanted to get the “Pakistan Commissions of Inquiry Bill, 2016” passed.
“I hope the government may not be able to once again pass this “Save Nawaz Sharif” bill for lack of quorum in the house,” he said.
Meanwhile, Railways Minister Saad Rafique, winding up the debate on the motion regarding non-utilisation of the land of railways, said it would take more than 10 to 12 years to completely improve the railways system. The minister said he would not allocate even an inch of railway land during his tenure.
“Pakistan Railways will earn revenue of Rs 40 billion by June next year against the set target of Rs 36 billion,” he proudly shared with the house. The minister was not much optimistic about improvement in the system of railways in the current tenure of the government.
“Unfortunately, no minister has properly dealt with Pakistan Railways,” he said, sharing even the ministers in previous eras, including that of PML-N, set up train stops just to facilitate people of their constituencies. He affirmed Pakistan Railways system would be upgraded in four cycles.
About punctuality of trains, the minister said train timing system had improved from 20 percent to 80 percent, adding the ministry had oil reserves for 20 days.
The minister said train service on Sibi-Khost-Harnai railway track would be started by the end of the next year at a cost of Rs 3 billion. The train service on Rawalpindi-Jand-Kohat section, he said, would be restored in six months.
He said a number of pieces of railway lands had been vacated, while efforts were underway to retrieve the other illegal occupations. He further said katchi abadis on railway land would not be removed.
Saad Rafiq averred the provincial governments did not want to hand over the land to Pakistan Railways despite the order of the Supreme Court. He added the KP government had handed over 90 percent land to the Pakistan Railways, but the other provinces were not cooperating in this regard.
Earlier, the lawmakers lauded the railway minister for improving the system.
MQM lawmaker Sajid Ahmed asked Saad Rafique to perform like former Indian railway minister Lalu Parsad Yadav.
GAS LOADSHEDDING BEHIND RISING
DIVORCE RATE: MNA
The opposition MNAs strongly criticised the minister concerned’s absence to respond to questions regarding gas loadshedding.
Tahira Aurangzeb from the treasury benches said cases of divorce were on the rise due to shortage of gas in homes. “Due to unavailability of gas in homes, families are disturbed and even ratio of divorce is increasing,” she commented.
Tahira told the lower house that quarrels between couples had become routine because wives were unable to prepare food on time due to gas outages.
“As a result, husbands get irritated, which leads to the couples getting separated,” she claimed, adding the gas loadshedding had spawned a real menace.
Tahira asked the government about progress on the multi-billion-dollar Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline project and demanded the house be updated on it. “The house should be informed who exactly is responsible for the mess in the family life of consumers,” she said.
The debate began when another parliamentarian Naeema Kishwar of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl tabled a resolution on gas loadshedding. Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was absent from the house.
When the NA Deputy Speaker Murtaza Abbasi learnt of his absence, he was upset.
Federal Minister for Law Zahid Hamid informed the deputy speaker the petroleum minister was attending a meeting of a cabinet committee, which annoyed Abbasi even further. “The house is more important than a cabinet committee meeting,” the deputy speaker said.
Fata lawmakers, at the end of proceedings, staged a walkout from the house for not inviting the members from the tribal area at the time of Raheel Sharif’s visit to Khyber Agency. “The matter should be sent to the privilege committee,” Gul Afridi said. Musarrat Zeb, supporting the voice of the Fata members, asked the deputy speaker to form a parliamentary committee on it.