In two years: Punjab lawmakers met for 23 actual sittings

The provincial assembly marks two years with a report card that carries a mix of political triumphs and failures.

While the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) claims the second year as a legislative success, opposition parties termed it as a disappointment.

According to details available with The Express Tribune, the provincial assembly passed 39 bills this year, and in total, 55 bills over the past two years. The assembly also passed a total of 19 private bills during this time.

Lawmakers met for 23 actual sittings during the last two years.

The ruling PTI, and its main opponent the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), locked horns over every issue, including the appointment of the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

As per the rules, the leader of the opposition heads the Public Accounts Committee, which conducts detailed audits of the government’s actions.

The resignations of members of standing committees also surfaced as an issue during the past 24 months. The opposition raised a plethora of questions about the legislation passed by the government during this time.

For the first time, the provincial lawmakers held the most important Budget session at a private hotel. The promised state-of-the-art new parliament building still appears to be a distant dream.

Despite the odds, the information minister lauded the performance of the ruling party. “The performance of the Punjab Assembly in the last two years is unprecedented,” claimed Fayyazul Hassan Chohan.

A record number of bills, Chohan claimed, were passed during the last two years. The PTI, he said, focuses on issues that matter to the public.

Taking a potshot at the opposition PML-N, Chohan said: “PML-N lawmakers only call meetings and never followup. They are known for abandoning proceedings.”

On the other hand, the opposition hurled allegations at the ruling party. The party accused the PTI government of stalling development in the province and derailing the parliamentary system in the provincial assembly.

“This is the weakest government in the history of the province,” claimed PML-N lawmaker Uzma Zahid Bukhari, who also serves as the party’s Information Secretary.

The legislative process, Bukhari said, is unconstitutional in the absence of the opposition. “The party will challenge all unconstitutional measures in the court,” warned Bukhari, adding that the government failed to establish parliamentary committees, which play an important role.

“They have failed to resolve the issue of the PAC chairman’s appointment in the last two years,” claimed the PML-N lawmaker. According to Bukhari, her party has raised concerns over the manner the ruling party is running the affairs of government.

The ruling party’s parliamentary report card also received flak from the Pakistan Peoples Party. “The Pakistan Peoples Party has raised its concerns against the illegal actions of the ruling party and will continue to play its role,” said PPP parliamentary leader Syed Hassan Murtaza.

Irked by the policies and actions of the PTI government, the members of the opposition gave no credit to the ruling party. While the opposition had nothing favorable to say, allies of the ruling party were busy patting their own back.

“The Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-e-Azam (PML-Q) has played its role as an ally of the government in Punjab. The performance of PML-Q is impressive,” claimed PML-Q lawmaker Khadija Omar.

The PML-Q lawmaker praised the speaker of the house, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, for impartially running the assembly. When contacted, the speaker did not comment on the assembly’s report card.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 21^st, 2020.