A file photo of Punjab Assembly. PHOTO: EXPRESS
The session lasted just over two hours. The Punjab Revenue Authority (Amendment) Ordinance 2015 and the Punjab Sugar Factories Control (Amendment) Ordinance 2015 were introduced. The House also introduced the Canal and Drainage (amendment) Bill 2015 and five women were granted an extension of 90 days. Rana Muhammad Iqbal chaired the session.
There was a heated exchange between Leader of Opposition Mehmoodur Rasheed and Law Minister Rana Sanaullah as the former tried to speak on a point of order.
The chair denied floor to the opposition leader, saying he could speak after the treasury’s business was completed.
“The opposition benches should be allowed to voice their thoughts as their concerns are of great significance. We demand to know how millions of rupees is being spent,” Rashid said.
In the ensuing commotion, several lawmakers chanted various slogans. The law minister said the House should be allowed to continue with official business after which he would respond to Rashid’s query. The opposition then staged a walkout, as many treasury members chanted “Go! Go!.” The opposition leader’s privilege motion on the release of development funds ahead of the local government polls was referred to the privilege committee on the request of the law minister.
MPAs Jahangir Khanzada, son of the slain home minister Shuja Khanzada and Shoaib Siddiqi, elected from PP-147, took oath during the session.
Siddiqi’s maiden speech was greeted with sloganeering.
“Today, as I stand here, our stance on rigging during May 2013 elections has been vindicated,” he said.
Khanzada was welcomed to by members from both sides.
He thanked all political parties for not fielding their candidates against him.
The law minister welcomed both members and assured Siddiqi that the House respected the voters’ mandate.
The issue of salaries of lawmakers at a par with those of other provincial assemblies was finally settled as the law minister informed the House that the Business Advisory Committee had given its approval in this regard. He said the bill would soon be presented in the House.
Parliamentary Secretary for Health Imran Nazeer faced a tough time in the House as lawmakers complained about wrong answers and lack of facilities at hospitals.
Nazeer admitted that one of the questions had been given a wrong answer by the department.
He said hospitals faced a shortage of ventilators. He said the Health Department was working on provision of 100 ventilators this year.
Despite repeated requests to speak on a point of order about government expenditure on district headquarters hospitals, PTI’s Murad Raas was not given the floor by the chair.
As many as 39 lawmakers were denied entry into the assembly for not submitting details of their assets.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 13th, 2015.
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