Daily Times

LAHORE: Joint opposition in Punjab Assembly on Tuesday created rumpus once again over the alleged corruption in the Multan Metro Bus project, forcing the government to adjourn proceedings without completing the agenda.

On Monday, the Punjab Assembly’s session was adjourned without completing its agenda due to a strong protest and chanting of slogans by opposition members, who surrounded the speaker’s desk over the same issue.

On Tuesday, the session started 40 minutes late to its scheduled time at 10am, with Deputy Speaker Sardar Sher Ali Gorchani in the chair. During the question hour about excise & taxation and irrigation departments, provincial ministers Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman and Amanatullah Khan Shadikhel answered queries of their colleagues, respectively.

Dr Waseem of the Jamaat-e-Islami walked out of the assembly for a brief period of time in a protest against alleged mismanagement by irrigation department, which he said had failed to provide water to farmers. He demanded the government to implement a resolution passed by the House to restore the status of Bahawalpur as a separate province.

Later, the issue of low rates of sugarcane was also highlighted by opposition benches. However, the chair decided to take up the matter next Monday, directing food minister and Food Department secretary to appear in the House. He also suggested inclusion of opposition members into the parliamentary committee of the government to settle the matter, but opposition members rejected his proposal.

Mian Aslam Iqbal of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said that the government was not taking the sugarcane issue serious. Ahmad Khan Bhachar of PTI rejected the idea of inclusion of opposition members in the government committee to resolve the sugarcane issue, saying that it would defame them at this stage.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) legislator Sardar Shahbauddin protested against the failure of the government in implementing the fixed price of sugarcane across the province. He also held a token walk out of five minutes on the matter.

Earlier on a point of order, lawmaker Shenila Ruth drew the attention of the House towards the arrest of blasphemy accused -Patras Masih and his cousin Sajid Masih.

Provincial minister Khalil Tahir Sindhu informed the House that Sajid Masih, who allegedly jumped off the fourth floor of the FIA Lahore office building during a probe in a blasphemy case, had been admitted to Mayo Hospital. He told the House that Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had taken notice of the issue and a committee was probing the matter.

Later, Opposition Leader Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed on a point of order raised the issue of Faisal Subhan of Capital Engineering Construction Company involved in the Multan Metro Bus project. He asked Shahbaz Sharif to come to the House and face corruption charges against him. Meanwhile, opposition members surrounded the Speaker’s desk again and chanted slogans against Shahbaz Sharif on which chair immediately without completing the agenda adjourned the session till today (Wednesday).

Talking to media outside the assembly’s building, Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed said Shahbaz Sharif would also be disqualified in the Multan Metro Bus corruption case.

Published in Daily Times, February  28^th 2018.