Remarks against PM cause pandemonium

Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat warned opposition members of the provincial assembly on Friday of a tit for tat response after they passed some remarks against Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The treasury and opposition legislators were at loggerheads after PPP’s parliamentary leader Syed Hassan Murtaza's remarks against the prime minister.

Speaking during a general discussion on food and agriculture, MPA Murtaza criticised the provincial government over not taking into confidence the farmers for devising a comprehensive policy. He said it was the Punjab’s farmer who produced food for others but he himself was now facing starvation.

During his speech, he used the word beggar’ for Prime Minister Khan, which led to pandemonium by the treasury members. MPA Murtaza protested against the interruption of his speech by the treasury members and eventually walked out of the House proceedings. Later, other opposition members tore the agenda’s copies and also walked out.

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Law Minister Basharat termed the word used by the PPP leader non-parliamentary and requested the panel of chairpersons member Mian Shafi, who was presiding over the session, to expunge it from the proceedings.

He said everyone knows that Prime Minister Khan is working hard or his to put the country on the right track.

There was a thin attendance of the lawmakers when the proceedings started after a considerable delay. Most replies scheduled in the question and answer session were disposed of owing to the non-availability of the lawmakers who had sought them.

Speaking about agriculture, PML-N’s former speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan and other members lamented the condition of the farmers. They said government had done nothing for the farmers.

They demanded that the government make sincere efforts to grant loans to the farmers on minimum markup.

The House proceedings were later adjourned till Monday.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 18^th, 2020.