K-P govt to ‘punish’ opposition for assembly protests

Senior provincial leaders of PTI have decided not to adopt any leniency inside or outside the assembly

PESHAWAR: With the opposition members protesting during the budget session despite reaching an agreement with the government not to do so, the provincial government has decided to ‘punish’ them for it by shedding their reconciliatory attitude towards the opposition parties inside and outside the assembly.

Earlier, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Mushtaq Ghani had expressed his resentment over the opposition benches protesting as Finance Minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra presented the budget and then when Chief Minister Mahmood Khan presented a concluding speech over the budget.

The opposition’s chants against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led provincial government and the PM Imran Khan, had apparently annoyed the ruling party.

Sources within the government ranks have disclosed that during a meeting in the K-P Assembly, where senior provincial leaders of PTI were present, they decided in principal to change their attitude towards the opposition leadership.

It was decided not to adopt any leniency towards the opposition, whether inside or outside the assembly, the source added.

The source further said that in the budget session, the speaker had reminded the opposition benches that he was running the house proceedings according to the rules of business where he had never discriminated against the treasury and opposition benches.

Despite urging members to refrain from chanting slogans against the ruling party within the assembly hall, they continued to do so and allegedly compelled the speaker to vacate his seat for the deputy speaker.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28^th, 2019.