The 'Press, Newspapers, News Agencies and Books Registration (Amendment) Bill, 2005' was put before the house, but could not be passed as opposition members walked out forcing the chair to call it a day.
All the opposition members, who expressed their mind on the cross-media bill, observed the move would impose curbs on the freedom of expression, as they argued it gave state agencies overwhelming powers to check media.
They feared that the amendment proposed in the bill would hinder newspapers and electronic media organisations from playing their prime role of watchdogs of the government wrongdoing.
Moreover, the opposition lawmakers also identified what they called a weak and faulty dispute-resolution-mechanism being envisaged through the bill.
A member denounced a clause of the bill under which both broadcasters and cable operators have been treated in the same fashion.
None of opposition legislators' 10 amendments, however, could make its way to be a part of the bill passed.
PIA FOKKERS REPLACEMENT: Earlier, Parliamentary Secretary of Defence Tanveer Hussain Qureshi informed the house that the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) had not grounded many Fokkers even though they had completed their normal operational age.
Tanveer said that some of the Fokkers that had flown for more than 200,000 flight hours were still being operated by the PIA.
A Fokker has only 90 flight hours of operational age, Qureshi told the Lower House and added that the PIA policy was a threat to human lives.
State Minister for Defence, Zahid Hamid, however, contradicted his statement, but Tanveer insisted the information he had put before the house was correct.
Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain resolved the issue as he directed state minister to have briefing from the PIA and come out with latest update on Tuesday.
The House would meet again on Tuesday at 1000 hours.