Daily Times

LAHORE: All hell broke loose on Friday in the Punjab Assembly after opposition leader Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) tore the Rules of Procedure book before throwing it in the air and declared it a trash as a protest against the speaker’s act of allowing an ‘anti-NAB’ resolution tabled by the ruling PML-N the other day.

Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana Iqbal ignored that act of the opposition leader and adjourned the session without completing the agenda of the day till Monday.

Opposition leader adopted that stance that the speaker had allowed the anti-NAB resolution by violating the rules of business as no resolution against any judicial or departmental body of the state investigating any case could be moved under the law.

The speaker said that he had allowed the resolution of the government under the rule 115 of the Rules of Procedure of the Punjab Assembly. On this, the opposition leader flew into rage and termed the book of rules trash and tore it before throwing it in the air. He said that if the rules could not be followed than the book of rules was not needed to give any reference. Other opposition members also started a protest against the speaker on the occasion.

Seeing the situation unpleasant and ignoring the serious act of the opposition leader, the speaker immediately announced adjournment of the session and left the House.

When asked if speaker can take any action against the opposition leader for tearing the book, provincial minister Khalil Tahir Sindhu said that the speaker could suspend his membership for some days.

Punjab Assembly session on Friday started 42 minutes late to its scheduled time at 9am with Speaker Rana Iqbal in the chair. The house adopted question hour session wherein provincial minister Nadeem Kamran replied to the queries of his colleagues about the Planning and Development Department.

During the question hour, the minister informed the House that the “Christmas grant” was being distributed to deserving Christian families through a committee headed by the deputy commissioner.

To a question put up by a treasury member, Mian Tariq Mehmood, about the affiliation of Dr Shabana Haider, a member health committee of the Planning and Development Department, to a non-governmental organisation (NGO), the minister said that she was not related to any NGO and was appointed on merit.

Meanwhile, another treasury member Mian Rafique said that the government outsourcing every department by appointing private officials at high salary packages. Anyhow, the minister avoided to answer the queries related to salaries.

Later, on a point of order, opposition leader Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed of PTI and Dr Waseem of Jamaat-e-Islami requested the speaker to take up their separate resolutions against the increase in prices of petroleum products.

The speaker initially termed the resolutions a federal subject but later agreed to adopt the resolution of the opposition leader on Tuesday, while JI legislator boycotted the session in protest as his request was trashed.

It is pertinent to mention here that Senate election for 12 seats of Punjab, including seven general seats, two technocrats, two women and a minority seat, would be held today (Saturday).

Published in Daily Times, March 3^rd 2018.