PROVINCIAL ASSEMBLY

• The topic of the lecture : How to cover a

Provincial Assembly session?
• At the Pakistan Broadcasting Academy (PBA),
Islamabad at on Monday, December 28, 2015.
• By : Retired Controller of News, Pakistan
Broadcasting Corporation (PBC, Radio
Pakistan), Muhammad Abrahim Kawan.
• 0345-4035750. ibrahim.kawan@gmail.com
 1. COVERING A
PROVINCIAL ASSEMBLY SESSION
• Oath-taking by the newly-elected members.
• Election of (Dy) Speaker, Leader of the House.
• Committees (Standing, Special, Privilege).
• Parliamentary year : first day after election.
• Constitutionally, minimum 100 days a year.
• Terms : To prorogue, to adjourn sine a die(Adjournment sine
die (from the Latin "without day") means "without assigning a day
for a further meeting or hearing". To adjourn an assembly sine
die is to adjourn it for an indefinite period.), to resume.
• Tuesday, Private Members day, resolutions.
• Ministers, Members, Parliamentary (meeting, parties, Leaders,
Secretary), Opposition Leader.
• Agenda of the day, list of government business.
 2
• Recitation, naat-khani, question hour, call-attention notice,
to move, introduce, table, consider and pass the bills. To lay
the reports or questions/answers, privilege motions,
Adjournment Motions.
• Opposition Leader opens while the concerned minister
winds up the general debate.
• Who to move? Language and dress.
• Suspensions of rules, roar/noise, criticism, fish market.
• Suspension of membership, entry ban, Sergeant at arms.
• Bill, SC report, enactment, 3 readings, act.
• Direct address : (Custodian of the House) Mr. Speaker, sir.
Point of order.
 3. PROVINCIAL BUDGET
• A financial year : July 01 to June 30 next year.
• Federal budget (early Jun), Provincial one later
• Annual budget, supplementary budget.
• Block allocation, usually 43 demands for grant.
• House to reject, pass, approve or adopt,
unanimously, with the majority of its votes, ayes
have it. Ayes at right, Nos at left.
• Cut motions. A symbol of one rupee.
• Speech by the Finance Minister, Leader of the
House, OL, Members, lunch/dinner.
 4. SIDE-LINE COVERAGE
IN AN ASSEMBLY
• Covering the standing Committees meetings.
• Exclusive talk with a minister/others, talk of
Ministers/others with the media outside the
assembly, outside protest. Out-side session.
• Getting a Members profile list/copy (including
the Ministers) from the Legislation
Department.
• Keeping a liaison with Assembly Speaker, Dy.
Speaker, Secretary, other sections/reporters.
 5. DESPATCH SAMPLES-1
• The House resumed its session (at the
Assembly Chambers) in Lahore this morning.
• Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan is
presiding over the session.
• As per the today’s agenda, there is a question
hour on the Provincial Education Department.
Besides, Introduction of 5 bills, 2 call-attention
notices and some adjournment motions are
also a part of the agenda today.
 6. DESPATCH SAMPLES-2
• At its session in Lahore this afternoon, the Punjab
Assembly gave approval to two bills with the
majority of its votes while unanimously adopted a
resolution of public interest.
• The (amendment) bills relate to the protection of
the rights of the oppressed women and street
children as well as their rehabilitation.
• At its session in Lahore this afternoon, the Punjab
Assembly passed the Provincial Finance Bill for
2015-2016 with the majority of its votes.
 7. REPORTING : GENERAL
INSTRUCTIONS
• Have contact numbers ready at the finger tips.
• A close contact/coordination with reporters.
• Prepare telephone diary / register, easily
accessible by all. Its updating is must.
• Do homework, make a dispatch in advance.
• Get function’s news-material before its start.
• Send dispatches before/after the event on Tel.
 UNIQUE ENGLISH-1
• Comma: THE DOCTOR SAID THE PATIENT HAS DIED.
• No smoking orders, no parking no-go area.
• Free : Interest-free, sex-free, free-sex.
• Adj : Senate Chairman, PTV, Pakistan Radio. If FD, why
DN, DP, DE? Work hard, hardwork. To look over (= to
overlook). May I come in, sir? Where do you come from?
• In control of, a white lie, possibility is always there,
Pakistan standard time.
• The R case, the Q case. To kindly grant.
• GHOTI-FISH, tz, missile, release, increase,
• UI : Biscuit, conduit, quiz, guitar. ET CETERA.
 UNIQUE ENGLISH-2
• All punctuation marks derived from Arabic waqf.
• Tell a lie, speak the truth, take way. This is an A-1 pen.
• No preposition after love, marry, enter, plough
• Figure : 100-bed hospital, 5-storey building, bare-
footed, blue-eyed.
• IB, IBMD, IBNH, PBC, PST, IRP, ICT,
• Journalist (a jack of all trades).
• How do you do do? What we read in newspapers
• Realise, nationalise, weaponise, politicise.
• Schedule, centre, phone, meter-metric, nature-natural.
 MATHEMATICS
• 19 = 1+18 zeros : Akai, dahai, sankara, hazar, deh hazar,
lakh, deh lakh, crore, deh crore, arb, deh arb, kharab, deh
kharab, neelam, deh neelam, paddam, deh paddam, sankh,
deh sankh.
• 19 = million (1+6 zeros), billion (1+12 zeros), trillion (1+18
zeros).
• Million = 1 million = a million = (A or one) thousand
thousand.
• Million = 10 lakh, billion = 10 kharb, trillion = 10 sankh.
• In Pak, India, BD, USA, UNO : billion= 1+9 Z= I arb, and
trillion = 1+12 Z=10 kharb.
•