NA witnesses heated debate on food, electricity, gas prices

F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Friday witnessed heated debate on food inflation and hike in electricity and gas prices that had been real issues for the people.
Speaking on the motion that this House may discuss the food inflation and gas and electricity prices, Qasir Sheikh said the people had voted the parliamentarians to discuss and redress their issues.
He said the people had lot of expectations from PTI-led government and added the opposition leaders Shahbaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto had offered the government for charter of economy to resolve these issues.
He said the issues could only be resolved through joint and collective efforts and added that the PTI government came to power with the slogan to root out corruption and control inflation. He passionately called for focusing on these specific issues.
Taking part in the discussion, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said that inflation was the real issue for common people.
He said PTI had contested the general elections on major issues : elimination of corruption, inflation and unemployment. He said the government should now move forward and called for taking drastic measures to redress these issues for ensuring proper relief to people.
2 standing committees’ reports tabled in NA: As many as reports of two Standing Committees including Religious Affairs and Interior were tabled in the National Assembly.
The reports were presented by Asad Mehmood and Raja Khurram Nawaz, chairpersons of the respective committee in the lower house.
Chairman Standing committee on Religious Affairs presented the report of the committee on the Bill to further amend the “Protection of Communal Properties of Minorities Ordinance, 2001 (V of 2002)” titled [The Protection of Communal Properties of Minorities (Amendment) Bill, 20201. Similarly, Raja Khurram Nawaz, Chairman Standing Committee on interior presented the report on the Bill to regulate the Registration, Regulation and Facilitation of Charities in the lslamabad Capital Territory titled [The lslamabad Capital Territory Charities Registration, Regulation and Facilitation Bill, 2020].
Meanwhile, Zain Qurehi on behalf of Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Minister for Finance and Revenue laid Annual Report of the Board of Directors of State Bank of Pakistan on the state of Pakistan’s Economy for the year, 2019-20, as required by Section 9A(2) of the State Bank of Pakistan Act, 1956. 12, before the house. Zain Qureshi, on behalf of Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, also presented First Quarterly Report of the Board of Directors of State Bank of Pakistan on the state of the Economy for the year, 2020- 21, as required by Section 9A(2) of the State Bank of Pakistan Act, 1956.