Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Lower House of parliament on Friday witnessed an exchange of harsh words between the railways minister and Pakistan People’ Party (PPP) legislators over the quorum, which compelled the speaker to adjourn the proceedings of the House.

Earlier, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq rejected the suggestion to set up a parliamentary commission for investigating Husain Haqqani’s controversial article about the US Abbottabad raid and referred the issue to the standing committee. The defence minister and opposition parties had called for a parliamentary commission to investigate the claims regarding the government’s approval for giving visas to CIA agents. However, the speaker referred the matter to the NA Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs for investigation.

The PML-N-led government always seems to have a problem with ensuring presence of enough of its members in the National Assembly.

Like the premier, PML-N legislators also could not take keen interest in the proceedings of the House. Most of the times the government had been facing quorum-related issues throughout the proceedings of the current session.

A PPP lawmaker pointed out the quorum, but Speaker Ayaz Sadiq ignored it. This led to an uproar in the House and soon a war of words began between Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq and PPP legislators. The chair had no option but to adjourn the House until Monday.

The House witnessed presentation of seven periodical reports of five various standing committees.

The House took up a calling attention notice regarding non-construction of overhead bridges on the Kashmir Highway.

To a question, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique told the House that the government had taken several steps to upgrade the railroads, including the Karachi-Peshawar track, under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). He said the upgradation and doubling of the Main Line (ML-I) of the Pakistan Railways from Karachi to Peshawar, including the Taxila-Havelian section, and establishment of a dry port near Havelian had been declared an “early harvest project” under the CPEC.

He said the project also included doubling of track from Shahdara to Peshawar Cantt and increasing of speed, where possible. He said the upgradation of the project was being initiated and it would be completed in five years.

The minister said there was no dedicated locomotive for freight services when he took over. He pointed out that now there were 81 dedicated locomotives for freight services. He said the government was importing 55 freight locomotives from the United States, seven of which had already reached the country. “The rest will reach in the next three months.”

He said there would be 150 freight locomotives by the end of the tenure of the present government.

The minister said that the Pakistan Railways revenue through freight services would be increased to over Rs 14 billion this year, which stood at only Rs 2 billion in 2012.

Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb told the House during the question hour that the present government was focusing on the revival of the Pakistani film industry to reduce foreign contents.

She said there was no official ban on the public exhibition of Indian feature films in cinema houses under the Motion Pictures Ordinance, 1979. She said the existing policy framework of the federal government to all exhibitions of foreign cinema to graphic films in Pakistani cinemas was consistent with the policy approved by then prime minister in 2007.

She said the Central Board of Film Censors had the power to cut the contents that were against our social norms and national interest. To a question, Marriyum Aurangzeb said an advertisement would soon be floated for the appointment of the PTV managing director.

Responding to a calling attention notice moved by Khalida Mansoor and others regarding non-construction of overhead bridges on the Kashmir Highway, Islamabad, Minister of State for Capital Administration and Development Division Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said the Islamabad International Airport would be linked to the Metro Bus Service to facilitate the passengers.

He said the Kashmir Highway had been expanded and carpeted. He said they were seriously considering constructing overhead bridges or underpasses on this highway for smooth flow of traffic. He said the CDA was also going to open new housing sectors to generate funds.