MPAs trade barbs in PA

LAHORE:

The Punjab Assembly (PA) witnessed intense uproar on Monday as members of the treasury and opposition benches exchanged harsh allegations, slogans, and heated remarks during the session.

The commotion began when Opposition MPA Ejaz Shafi rose to speak.

His remarks triggered a response from PML-N lawmakers, including Ahsan Khan and Chief Whip Rana Muhammad Arshad, who began delivering speeches from the treasury benches.

Government lawmakers Rana Arshad, Tariq Gill, and Malik Waheed accused the opposition leadership of instability and disorder.

This led opposition members to retaliate with "thief, thief" slogans directed at treasury members. During the heated exchange, PML-N MPA Tariq Gill declared that "Punjab will now only be ruled by the lion," referring to the PML-N's electoral symbol, and stated that the provincial government enjoyed strong public backing.

Malik Waheed, another treasury member, praised the governance of Chief Minister Punjab, saying:

"The chief minister has set the highest standards of governance. Anyone who spreads chaos will end up behind bars. The province will move forward only on the path of development."

Meanwhile, PML-N's Ahsan Raza launched a pointed attack on PTI, alleging that the party's only agenda was to secure the release of a jailed leader.

He said "PTI's entire agenda revolves around freeing a confirmed thief. They have no interest in the state or the people. If they have issues with the Assembly, they should resign and go back to the streets."

Raza further claimed that PTI members had attempted to mislead the youth and derail the country's direction.