LAHORE: The Nawaz government and the opposition in the Punjab Assembly during Wednesday’s session challenged each other on the imposition of regulatory duty (RD) on some import items from Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and the speaker fixed an open debate on it today (Thursday). During the session, opposition parties strongly opposed and condemned the newly imposed regulatory duty considering it as a fuel to enhance inflation more in the province of Punjab where prices of tomatoes and electricity were already out of the reach of the poor masses. The opposition also demanded the government to withdraw the duty. The Punjab Assembly session on Thursday started one hour and 27 minutes late from its scheduled time at 10am under the chair of Speaker Rana Iqbal. The House adopted question hour about the Communication and Works Department and Provincial Minister Tanveer Aslam answered the queries. Replying to a query put by the opposition legislator, the minister surprisingly admitted that he was not aware of his ministry’s policy about transfer and posting of any public servant. On a point of order, opposition leader (OL) Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) asked the speaker to allow him to table a resolution against the imposition of regulatory duty out of turn, but he was denied, on which the opposition benches started protesting and chanting slogans against the move. Minister Sheikh Allauddin stood on his bench and requested the speaker to allow the opposition leader to move the resolution, as he was fully prepared to justify the need of the regulatory duty at the moment. But the speaker told the opposition leader that he could move his resolution according to the rules of procedure, and hold some debate on it. When the speaker did not allow the resolution to be tabled in the House, the opposition leader said that they only wanted to condemn the duty and demand its withdrawal, as it would open the gates of inflation in the province. He said that it was just not a regulatory duty but a mini budget that could not be accepted in any case. Dr Waseem Akhtar of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) supporting the opposition leader said that due to imposition of this new duty, poor people of the country would bear more burden of Rs 25 billion, so it should not be imposed. On this occasion, Arif Abbasi strongly criticised the poor role of the federal finance minister towards strengthening the national economy, saying that he was charged in corruption cases. Meanwhile, the speaker muted his microphone saying that it was not a point of order. Later, he announced to hold an hour-long open debate on the issue on Thursday soon after taking calling attention notices and privilege motions session in the House. Earlier, during the privilege motions session, Asif Mehmood of the PTI moved his motion against a ruling party’s defeated candidate from his own provincial constituency PP-9 for fixing plaques at the site of development projects by showing himself as a sitting member of the provincial assembly. He urged the speaker that he should not defend his party member but give favour to him as real sitting MPA, and take serious action against him for breaching the privilege of the House. He also told the speaker that he had some video clips and pictures against the said person. The speaker initially tried to protect the Nawaz league’s defeated candidate who was also a former MPA from the constituency by saying that he could have fixed the plaques at the site of development projects that were started in his tenure, but later asked the authorities concerned to probe the matter and inform the House today. It is pertinent to mention here that due to lack of quorum and continuation of suspension of around one fourth of the total strength of the House, the government hardly completed the agenda of the day. During the government business session, two bills -The Punjab Zakat and Ushr Bill 2017 and The Provincial Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill 2017 – were also introduced. After completing the agenda of the day, the speaker adjourned the session until today at 10am. Published in Daily Times, October 19th 2017.