Riled up: Lack of quorum, jibes and insults at the PA
The question hour was punctuated with harsh words from both sides.
The opposition lawmakers asked the speaker to let them speak on the mater but they were denied permission. PHOTO: EXPRESS
LAHORE:
The speaker’s snub to the opposition on Tuesday came back to haunt the treasury as the Friday session of the Punjab Assembly was marred by name-calling and insults.
As acting Speaker Sardar Sher Ali Khan Gorchani began the question hour, independent lawmaker Ahsan Riaz Fatiyana pointed to a lack of quorum. The speaker briefly adjourned the proceedings and the treasury benches contacted the absentee lawmakers to attend the session.
Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan was among those instructed by the chief minister’s office to attend the session. The CM office staff also called up treasury MPAs in Lahore and the peripheries to attend. The speaker resumed the session after 30 minutes and started the question hour over issues pertaining to the Environment and Protection Department. Minister Col (retd) Shuja Khanzada began with felicitations on Pakistan and China signing the Metro Train project.
The opposition lawmakers asked the speaker to let them speak on the mater but they were denied permission. The opposition rose in protest and gathered in front of the speaker’s rostrum. Undeterred, the speaker continued the question hour session.
The opposition lawmakers’ dissatisfaction over the speaker’s attitude towards them throughout the week reached near boiling point on Friday as the protest turned into an exchange of jibes between opposition and treasury lawmakers. Several women members of the treasury shouted slogans against the opposition and used harsh language against them.
Members of the treasury called Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan “a pawn of the Jews”. They said just when Pakistan’s economy had begun to stabilise, “the Jews of the world had asked Khan to destabilise it again”.
Women members of the treasury held up placards with slogans against the opposition.
Not to be outdone, the opposition launched a tirade about how Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was pandering to India’s prime minister-elect Narendra Modi. They accused Sharif of insincerity with the armed forces and wanting to “fulfil Modi’s agenda in Pakistan”. The opposition also raised slogans against the PML-N leadership.
After the heated question hour, the speaker asked opposition leader Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed to start a general discussion on the law and order in the province. Rasheed was asked to initiate the discussion several times but the opposition continued with verbal melee in the house. The speaker reminded Rasheed that he had requested that the topic should be on the agenda and should therefore initiate the discussion. In response to that, the opposition chanted slogans against the acting speaker and questioned his impartiality.
After the session was adjourned, both benches took the jibes and insults outside the Punjab Assembly and shared their grievances with journalists.
Rasheed said the opposition had decided that it would not allow the question hour to proceed smoothly. He said they had vowed not to let Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif enter the house or address the members. He said the opposition’s legal rights included development works for their constituencies and the right to speak in the house. “These privileges have almost all been withdrawn by the speaker.”
He said the opposition would not allow Rana Sanaullah Khan to treat the assembly as his personal chambers.
Pakistan Peoples Party’s Sardar Shahabuddin Khan said his adjournment motion over the utilisation of development funds for South Punjab had not been taken up. He accused the speaker of “deliberately killing” it. He said of the Rs98 billion allocated for development work in South Punjab during 2013-14, the government had released less than Rs20 billion. He said South Punjab was being deprived of its due share and rights.
The treasury members led by Abdul Razzaq Dhillon said the PTI was trying to convince the youth that elections had been rigged. “This is a pack of lies,” he said.
The speaker adjourned the session until Monday evening.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 24th, 2014.
The speaker’s snub to the opposition on Tuesday came back to haunt the treasury as the Friday session of the Punjab Assembly was marred by name-calling and insults.
As acting Speaker Sardar Sher Ali Khan Gorchani began the question hour, independent lawmaker Ahsan Riaz Fatiyana pointed to a lack of quorum. The speaker briefly adjourned the proceedings and the treasury benches contacted the absentee lawmakers to attend the session.
Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan was among those instructed by the chief minister’s office to attend the session. The CM office staff also called up treasury MPAs in Lahore and the peripheries to attend. The speaker resumed the session after 30 minutes and started the question hour over issues pertaining to the Environment and Protection Department. Minister Col (retd) Shuja Khanzada began with felicitations on Pakistan and China signing the Metro Train project.
The opposition lawmakers asked the speaker to let them speak on the mater but they were denied permission. The opposition rose in protest and gathered in front of the speaker’s rostrum. Undeterred, the speaker continued the question hour session.
The opposition lawmakers’ dissatisfaction over the speaker’s attitude towards them throughout the week reached near boiling point on Friday as the protest turned into an exchange of jibes between opposition and treasury lawmakers. Several women members of the treasury shouted slogans against the opposition and used harsh language against them.
Members of the treasury called Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan “a pawn of the Jews”. They said just when Pakistan’s economy had begun to stabilise, “the Jews of the world had asked Khan to destabilise it again”.
Women members of the treasury held up placards with slogans against the opposition.
Not to be outdone, the opposition launched a tirade about how Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was pandering to India’s prime minister-elect Narendra Modi. They accused Sharif of insincerity with the armed forces and wanting to “fulfil Modi’s agenda in Pakistan”. The opposition also raised slogans against the PML-N leadership.
After the heated question hour, the speaker asked opposition leader Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed to start a general discussion on the law and order in the province. Rasheed was asked to initiate the discussion several times but the opposition continued with verbal melee in the house. The speaker reminded Rasheed that he had requested that the topic should be on the agenda and should therefore initiate the discussion. In response to that, the opposition chanted slogans against the acting speaker and questioned his impartiality.
After the session was adjourned, both benches took the jibes and insults outside the Punjab Assembly and shared their grievances with journalists.
Rasheed said the opposition had decided that it would not allow the question hour to proceed smoothly. He said they had vowed not to let Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif enter the house or address the members. He said the opposition’s legal rights included development works for their constituencies and the right to speak in the house. “These privileges have almost all been withdrawn by the speaker.”
He said the opposition would not allow Rana Sanaullah Khan to treat the assembly as his personal chambers.
Pakistan Peoples Party’s Sardar Shahabuddin Khan said his adjournment motion over the utilisation of development funds for South Punjab had not been taken up. He accused the speaker of “deliberately killing” it. He said of the Rs98 billion allocated for development work in South Punjab during 2013-14, the government had released less than Rs20 billion. He said South Punjab was being deprived of its due share and rights.
The treasury members led by Abdul Razzaq Dhillon said the PTI was trying to convince the youth that elections had been rigged. “This is a pack of lies,” he said.
The speaker adjourned the session until Monday evening.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 24th, 2014.