The Punjab Assembly on Tuesday passed Punjab Emergency Service (Amendment) Bill, 2021, accorfing to which Rescue 1122 has been made an independent body. According to the bill, Director General Rescue 1122 got the powers of provincial secretary.
The bill was moved by PML-Q MPA Khadija Umar after, last week Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi expressed anger over the government for not including the Punjab Emergency Services Bill in the agenda of Punjab Assembly proceedings and adjourned the House without any business.
Responding to the adjournment of the PA session without any proceedings, Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat said: “Mr Speaker! If you want to appoint the director general (DG) of Rescue 1122 for life, do so, but the constitutional and legal requirements for an individual cannot be ignored.” He said there was no such precedent of legislation for an individual in the history of the assembly. He said it was a money bill in the context of amendments to the Punjab Emergency Council Bill which had to be approved by the cabinet before tabling it in the assembly.
Moreover, Pervaiz Elahi said the proceedings of the session would not commence until the Punjab Emergency Services Bill wasn’t included in the agenda of the assembly proceedings. Opposition members also chanted slogans in favour of Elahi at that time.
During the session the house also passed Punjab Transparency and Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and Times Institute 2021 Multan Bill with simple majority. The House also passed a resolution for providing free education to children between the age of 5 to 16 years. According to the text of the resolution moved by MPA Shamim Aftab, the federal government should make arrangements for the provision of free education to the children between the age of 5 to 16 years.
As per the details, the session started 1 hour 32 minutes late under the chair of speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Pervez Elahi. The session will resume now on Friday morning.
