Daily Times

LAHORE: Believe it or not but it is a fact that Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed has demanded the government to construct two tunnels for legislators’ movement in the city to avoid traffic gridlocks and protest demonstrations on The Mall.

The Punjab Assembly session on Monday discontinued over lack of quorum again as most of the legislators failed to join the proceedings due to hours-long traffic jam and a demonstration at Charing Cross on The Mall

Interestingly, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed opposition leader, who was stuck in a traffic jam, reached the assembly building late, and soon after joining the session he raised the issue on a point of order, demanding the government to put an end to demonstrations on The Mall.

Only 15 members were present in the house when Speaker Rana Iqbal started the proceedings and until its culmination the number could not cross pass 50.

Opposition member Ahsan Riaz Fatiana pointed out the quorum and forced the chair to prorogue the session for an indefinite period of time.

Anyhow, the opposition leader said that the government had failed to implement its own resolution against demonstrations on The Mall, creating hurdle for legislators to reach the assembly building. “I remained stuck in a traffic jam for over an hour,” he said.

He added if the government could not bar holding of protest on The Mall then it should construct a tunnel from Grand Trunk Road (generally know as GT Road) to the Punjab Assembly building and one more from the motorway to the assembly building for convenience of legislators to join legislative proceedings on time.

On another point of order, Arif Abassi of the PTI urged the speaker that he should constitute a parliamentary committee headed by the opposition leader to investigate the alleged embezzlement of Rs 80 billion in the Orange Line Metro Train project and members from treasury benches should also be made part of it.

During the session, when a representative of a standing committee demanded an extension in the deadline to table reports regarding a bill about prisoners’ protection moved by treasury member Hina Pervaiz Butt, the speaker denied to extend the deadline.

Earlier, the house adopted a question hour about Local Government and Community Development Department and Parliamentary Secretary Ramazan Sidique Bhatti answered queries of his colleagues.

Meanwhile, Punjab Assembly Press Gallery Committee held a token walkout against the attack on renowned journalist Ahmad Norani in Islamabad three days ago.

The committee members held a protest inside the assembly’s premises and demanded the federal interior minister to arrest the culprits. Later, the government and the opposition jointly moved and passed a resolution in this regard.

Published in Daily Times, October 31^st 2017.