Opposition grills govt over Senate defeat

The opposition benches in the Punjab Assembly grilled the government over defeat in the senate elections while several lawmakers repeatedly pointed out a lack of quorum.

The house proceedings started at 11:29 with the lapse of two and half hours under the chair of the Panel of Chairman Mian Muhammad Shafi. The panel of chairmen, however, did not stop the house proceedings. The opposition lawmakers wanted to grill the government first on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) recent defeat in the senate elections while the government’s tilt was to adopt first the agenda items of the assembly.

Read Most PA standing committees unformed, lying dormant

The lawmaker from the opposition strongly protested over not being stopping the house proceedings by the panel chairman despite Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz’s (PML-N) Mian Abdul Raoof pointed out the lack of quorum several times. First, Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) leader Syed Usman Mehmood, on a point of order, grilled the government on its defeat in the senate election, adding that Prime Minister Imran Khan lost his confidence. At which, Punjab Law Minister Basharat Raja raised an objection, claiming this matter relates to the federal government. “So it is my suggestion that the agenda items of the house be taken up first and then the lawmakers could speak on another issue.” The PML-N lawmakers pointed out the lack of quorum in the assembly at which the provincial law minister claimed it is regrettable that a consensus had been developed between both treasury and opposition earlier that during Covid-19, no one will point out the quorum.

“However, the opposition goes back to its word.” The opposition lawmakers demanded the panel chairman quote any rule of the assembly under which the house could be run even after pointing out the lack of quorum. The opposition lawmakers who had left the house started coming into the house and assembled in front of the chair of the panel chairman. They started chanting slogans against the government and the conduct of the panel chairman and then tearing the agenda copies, throwing them into the air.