Daily Times

LAHORE: The joint opposition members in the Punjab Assembly session on Tuesday tore agenda copies and chanted slogans of ‘Go Nawaz Go’ after Speaker Rana Iqbal once again did not allow them to table a resolution against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Interestingly, this is the first time in the four-year parliamentary history of the opposition that it lodged a protest inside the House, which witnessed pandemonium throughout the proceedings.

The Punjab Assembly session was started one hour and 36 minutes late to its scheduled time at 10am, with Speaker Rana Iqbal Khan in the chair.

After the question hour session, Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Mehmoodur Rasheed stood on a point of order and launched a complaint directly to the speaker that he (speaker) had disallowed him to table a resolution against the premier but allowed the treasury to pass a resolution in favour of Nawaz Sharif.

He said that the opposition parties would continue their protest until the resignation of the premier for ensuring a free and fair probe into the alleged corruption allegations against the prime minister by the Joint Investigation Team (JIT).

The opposition leader said that the Speaker only used Rules of Procedures of the Punjab Assembly as tactics against the opposition, and allowed treasury to move its resolution on the same grounds.

However, the speaker said that he had no objection to their resolution but they should move a motion to get consent of the majority of the House to suspend the proceedings to take it up, and if the house gives permission then they can table the resolution.

Anyhow, the opposition started a protest and chanted slogans against the prime minister and tore up the copies of assembly agenda. Meanwhile, the speaker continued the assembly proceedings.

The Punjab Assembly Press Gallery Committee also observed a token walkout from the session against “forced terminations and delay” in salaries in the media house. Later, a six-member committee was formed to sort out the issue in this regard.

During the proceedings, a treasury member, Gulnaz Shahzadi, introduced a private bill on Punjab Private Educational Institutions (Promotion and Regulation) (Amendment) Bill 2017, while Faiza Mushtaq introduced the Punjab Tobacco Vend (Amendment) Bill 2017 that were referred to the standing committees.

However, the amendment bill on Punjab Child Marriage Restraints presented by an opposition member, Khurram Jahangir Wattoo, was rejected with majority.