2DashingLahori
28th November 2006, 00:17
http://dawn.com/2006/11/27/top3.htm
Afgan warns against refusal to enforce women’s bill: PAs could be dissolved
By Zaheer Mahmood Siddiqui
LAHORE, Nov 26: Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Sher Afgan Niazi said on Sunday that a refusal to enforce the women’s rights law by the NWFP and Balochistan governments would be an act of rebellion and the assemblies of the two provinces could be dissolved.
Talking to newsmen after speaking as chief guest at the ‘Fikr-i-Sufia’ seminar held at Alhamra, he also said that the president could be elected in the absence of provincial assemblies.
He said that a full bench comprising seven judges of the Indian Supreme Court had given a ruling to this effect as reported on page No. 1182 of All India Report 1974.
The ruling said election for the president could be held if there existed no provincial assemblies. He claimed that the ruling was also applicable to Pakistan. The Constitution of Pakistan also had a provision according to which the president could be elected through the existing parliament in the absence of provincial assemblies.“Resignations and the Majlis-i-Amal are two opposite things. They were to resign after the death of Nawab Akbar Bugti and after the passage of the women's rights bill. The MMA people wouldn’t resign," said Dr Niazi.
He was of the view that it was not necessary for a parliamentarian to tender resignation only when the legislature was in session.
He said: "At present, the Senate is in session why not the MMA people submit their resignations to the chairman. The speakers of the national and provincial assemblies are there. If they want to resign, call me, tender their resignations either to the chairman or the speaker concerned who will take further action without any hesitation and the government will hold by-elections on the seats vacated by them.”
“Zulfikar Ali Bhutto is my leader while President Gen Pervez Musharraf is my Quaid. I joined the PML without any compulsion and all other Patriots will eventually follow suit. Even Rao Sikandar Iqbal is not against the move,” he said while refusing to offer any comment regarding Aftab Khan Sherpao in this regard.
Earlier, Dr Niazi told the participants of the seminar that the Protection of Women (Amendment) Bill had been endorsed by nine eminent religious scholars -- two from the Jamaat-i-Islami, three from Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Justice (retired) Pir Taqi Usmani, Maulana Jan Mohammad, Maulana Zahid Rashid and Maulana Munibur Rahman.
No amendment in any law, he said, had been introduced that was not in accordance with the Quran. "Nobody can even think so. We have just separated the sections relating with Taazir and Hudood that had been mixed up while preparing the Hudood Ordinace."On the services rendered by Sufia in spreading Islam in the Subcontinent, he said the pious people won the hearts of the people through their character and by serving the common folk.
Former Punjab chief minister Mian Manzoor Wattoo stressed the need for empowering community leaders. The need of the hour was to introduce revolutionary measures as unemployment and adverse living conditions had forced people to violate laws and by involving the community, the government could control the law and order and improve health, education and social conditions.
Through establishment of village councils, social justice could be ensured to people at their doorsteps that would not only help end petty issues but also expedite development work in education, sanitation and health sectors.
He said that during his tenure as chief minister, he had given ownership right to 12,000 homeless families in villages. It was the need of the hour to grant ownership right to the shelterless people in the remaining 18,000 villages of the province.
Mian Inayat Khan Qadri, Mian Ashraf Hashmi, Sultan Ijazul Hassan, Dr Khizar Noshahi and Ahmed Nadeem Ranjha also spoke at the seminar.
Afgan warns against refusal to enforce women’s bill: PAs could be dissolved
By Zaheer Mahmood Siddiqui
LAHORE, Nov 26: Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Sher Afgan Niazi said on Sunday that a refusal to enforce the women’s rights law by the NWFP and Balochistan governments would be an act of rebellion and the assemblies of the two provinces could be dissolved.
Talking to newsmen after speaking as chief guest at the ‘Fikr-i-Sufia’ seminar held at Alhamra, he also said that the president could be elected in the absence of provincial assemblies.
He said that a full bench comprising seven judges of the Indian Supreme Court had given a ruling to this effect as reported on page No. 1182 of All India Report 1974.
The ruling said election for the president could be held if there existed no provincial assemblies. He claimed that the ruling was also applicable to Pakistan. The Constitution of Pakistan also had a provision according to which the president could be elected through the existing parliament in the absence of provincial assemblies.“Resignations and the Majlis-i-Amal are two opposite things. They were to resign after the death of Nawab Akbar Bugti and after the passage of the women's rights bill. The MMA people wouldn’t resign," said Dr Niazi.
He was of the view that it was not necessary for a parliamentarian to tender resignation only when the legislature was in session.
He said: "At present, the Senate is in session why not the MMA people submit their resignations to the chairman. The speakers of the national and provincial assemblies are there. If they want to resign, call me, tender their resignations either to the chairman or the speaker concerned who will take further action without any hesitation and the government will hold by-elections on the seats vacated by them.”
“Zulfikar Ali Bhutto is my leader while President Gen Pervez Musharraf is my Quaid. I joined the PML without any compulsion and all other Patriots will eventually follow suit. Even Rao Sikandar Iqbal is not against the move,” he said while refusing to offer any comment regarding Aftab Khan Sherpao in this regard.
Earlier, Dr Niazi told the participants of the seminar that the Protection of Women (Amendment) Bill had been endorsed by nine eminent religious scholars -- two from the Jamaat-i-Islami, three from Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Justice (retired) Pir Taqi Usmani, Maulana Jan Mohammad, Maulana Zahid Rashid and Maulana Munibur Rahman.
No amendment in any law, he said, had been introduced that was not in accordance with the Quran. "Nobody can even think so. We have just separated the sections relating with Taazir and Hudood that had been mixed up while preparing the Hudood Ordinace."On the services rendered by Sufia in spreading Islam in the Subcontinent, he said the pious people won the hearts of the people through their character and by serving the common folk.
Former Punjab chief minister Mian Manzoor Wattoo stressed the need for empowering community leaders. The need of the hour was to introduce revolutionary measures as unemployment and adverse living conditions had forced people to violate laws and by involving the community, the government could control the law and order and improve health, education and social conditions.
Through establishment of village councils, social justice could be ensured to people at their doorsteps that would not only help end petty issues but also expedite development work in education, sanitation and health sectors.
He said that during his tenure as chief minister, he had given ownership right to 12,000 homeless families in villages. It was the need of the hour to grant ownership right to the shelterless people in the remaining 18,000 villages of the province.
Mian Inayat Khan Qadri, Mian Ashraf Hashmi, Sultan Ijazul Hassan, Dr Khizar Noshahi and Ahmed Nadeem Ranjha also spoke at the seminar.