LAHORE - Punjab Assembly yesterday passed four bills with majority, rejecting all the amendments proposed by the opposition legislators.

The PA passed Punjab Criminal Prosecution Service (Constitution, Functions and Powers) (Amendment) Bill 2016, Parks and Horticulture Authority (Amendment) Bill 2016, Punjab Animals Feed Stuff And Compound Feed Bill 2016 and Punjab Halal Development Agency Bill 2016, after brief adjournment for completing quorum.

Earlier, the session started an hour and 10 minutes beyond the scheduled time with Speaker Rana Iqbal in the chair.

During Question Hour on Housing, Urban Development and Public Health Engineering, JI legislator Dr Waseem Akhtar offered ex-chief of army staff General (r) Raheel Sharif to start politics from the platform of his party after completing two year constitutional period.

Paying tributes to outgoing COAS and welcoming the new incumbent, he said that Gen Raheel Sharif had supervised successful military operation against terrorists and similar initiative was needed in politics. He offered him joining the JI for starting politics.

Minister Malik Nadeem Kamran questioned that from which slot Gen Raheel Sharif would start politics in a party where one could join only from the grass root level. What position would be given to a general against the traditional hierarchy system in the JI, he asked the legislator from Bahawalpur. The chairs stopped both the minister and the JI legislator from further arguments on the issue.

To a question of Qazi Ahmed Saeed, the minister said that there was no mechanism to monitor the working of consumer committees. He said that legislation was required to check performance and monitor working of the committees. He sought input from the legislators in this regard. He said that water purification plants would be installed across the province according to requirements of areas. He said that project was not confined to specific areas in Bahawalpur. He said that a survey has already been started to identify suitable areas for installation of water filtration plants.

The treasury survived embarrassment when opposition legislator Ahsan Riaz Fatiana pointed quorum. However, after ringing bells for five minutes, the treasury managed to avoid the embarrassment it had been facing this week except in the last sitting.

Ahsan Riaz Fatiana wanted debate on his resolution on dual nationalities of judges and bureaucrats.

He demanded that the issue should be brought into debate. He insisted that the resolution was rejected without any justification.

He said that dual nationality issues of members of parliament, provincial assemblies and politicians were openly debated, brining embarrassment and insults for them. But, he said, dual nationalities of judges and bureaucrats were never discussed which was injustice with the elected representatives.

But the speaker did not allow him to speak further. After his microphone was switched off, infuriated Fatiana pointed out that the House was not in quorum.

The House also began general debate on Agriculture before the proceedings were adjourned for today (Friday).