Question of potency: Coalition partner slams K-P govt

JI MPA says lawmakers are living under monarchy run by bureaucracy

PESHAWAR: There seems to be a growing trend of treasury members turning on each other as a coalition MPA, on Wednesday, slammed the K-P government of being helpless at the hands of the bureaucracy. This comes on the coattails of PTI MPAs Arbab Jehandad and Javed Nasim nearly coming to blows during Monday’s session.

The session started an hour and 10 minutes behind schedule as the deputy speaker and treasury benchers were late. The opposition members, who were waiting for the speaker to reach, started shouting slogans of “come speaker come”.

They subsequently started a parallel assembly session and JUI-F lawmaker Munawar was made the speaker.

PML-N parliamentary leader Sardar Aurangzeb Nalota started poking fun at the government, saying the change promised by the PTI government was clear through the empty seats in the house, while billions were wasted in holding the sessions.

The opposition members stayed on the floor and did not end their discussions when Deputy Speaker Dr Mehar Taj Roghani finally entered. The chief minister also came to the sitting, but left after some time.

An incomplete bridge

The session saw Upper Dir Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker Muhammad Ali raised the issue of an incomplete bridge in his constituency. Ali said that the bridge was washed away by the 2010 floods and 80% of the work had yet to be completed on it by the previous government.

Irregularities in Museum

The opposition raised the issue of the irregularities at Peshawar Museum and theft of antiques worth billions. It requested the deputy speaker to constitute a committee to probe the matter. PPP’s Nighat Orakzai raised the issue on a point of order and a referred to an enquiry report of the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE).

PTI lawmaker Qurban Khan joined her and demanded a committee to probe the matter. However, Minister for Tourism Mehmood Khan called the enquiry of the EC “false and baseless”.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 26^th, 2016.