Whisperings in the Punjab assembly hallways

Stakeholders discuss the reasons which led to the budget being passed with great ease

LAHORE: The PML-N opposition’s self-proclaimed stance of being a strong voice for the masses seemed to be compromised in the Punjab Assembly last week for the sake of its leader Hamza Shehbaz Sharif. Its silence was most conspicuous at the time when the treasury managed to pass, what had been termed by some critics, as an anti-people budget.

Observers were left stunned by the silence on the day the budget was passed. Analysts were equally puzzled by the fact that the opposition made a noise on a day experts deemed as irrelevant – the time when the supplementary budget was passed.

Murmurs started doing the rounds in the assembly halls and those whispering among themselves seemed to believe that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz had managed to barter a ‘national reconciliation ordinance’ for Hamza Shehbaz. In exchange, PML-N would reportedly be asked not to put up too much of a resistance to the budget.

The curiosity of this scribe compelled him to lend a closer ear to the conversation between two people who could clearly be heard discussing a meeting between a PML-N delegation and PA Speaker Chaudhry Pervez Elahi.

One of those speaking in whispers asked about the nature of this NRO, asking whether it was similar to the one obtained by party leaders in the past.

He was quickly informed that the situation would be different as this agreement would mainly benefit Hamza Shehbaz Sharif and not multiple stakeholders.

The two whisperers took a quick look around and could not see anyone in the vicinity. That is when they decided to continue with their conversation and said Elahi was being requested  by senior PML-N lawmakers to nominate Opposition Leader Hamza Shehbaz Sharif as a member of different small committees.

This would allow the PML-N leader to visit the house after the prorogation of an assembly session. As a result, he would be able to meet visitors and conduct other business in the garb of meetings, one of them added.

Almost on cue, this scribe’s documents fell to the floor and drew the attention of the whisperers who started in that direction. However, as soon as this scribe moved to another location, they continued speaking.

One of them claimed that the speaker asked the delegation to take the government onboard, either through Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar or provincial law minister Raja Basharat.

They discussed whether the PML-N leaders met the CM or the law minister, and the reply to this question was in the negative. One told the other that the delegation has been ordered to first meet the speaker as he could potentially lend a helping hand at this stage.

They exchanged views on the reasons for nominating Hamza Shehbaz to another committee, especially as he was already part of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

The two discussed that PML-N believed that PTI would not arrange an election for the PAC and the committee could not be made functional until this exercise was completed. The whisperers concluded that in view of this critical situation, PML-N decided to knock on the doors of the speaker.

Responding to the current status of the meetings, it was stated that the governor would drag the issue on for some time before getting down to the business of addressing the grievances of the PML-N.

This scribe then shared the murmurings of the lobby with PML-N lawmaker Chaudhary Muhammad Iqbal. However, he was quick to dispel the notion that his party had asked for Hamza to be nominated to any committee.

Chaudhry Iqbal presented a different point of view to PML-N’s on budget day. He said PTI was employing tactics to get the budget passed.

He said his party was preparing themselves in the opposition’s room for the budget after proceedings kicked off.

However, even they could barely wrap their heads around the fact that PTI managed to get the budget passed in 20 minutes.