Daily Times

Provincial Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Raja Basharat on Thursday said that Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz misuses his production orders issued to attend the sittings of the House. “The opposition leader doesn’t take any interest in the proceeding as he attends the House only for few minutes and only does politics instead while coming in the Punjab Assembly on his production orders issued by the Speaker,” said minister for Law Raja Basharat in Punjab Assembly. He was speaking in the House on Thursday in reaction to the quorum pointed out by PML-N MPA Samiullah Khan that remained fulfilled even in three counts.

As per the details, MPA Samiullah Khan pointed out the quorum soon after the opposition leader Hamza Shahbaz came in the House from his chamber and the government business was just about to start. The staff of the assembly told the Chair that quorum was intact but MPA Samiullah Khan refuted his claim as he himself counted the legislators present in the House. The PML-N MPA had to face a sort of embarrassment as there were 106 lawmakers present in the House at that time while 93 MPAs are required to meet the quorum. The treasury MPAs chanted slogans against Samiullah over what they thought his defeat in the quorum counting. “He (Samiullah) might get a ministry after today’s episode,” said the Panel of Chairman Mian Shafi who was chairing the House. The remarks of the Chair were also shocking for some PTI members who thought that if the PML-N is coming into power once again as the same rumors are also flooded in the market.

Law minister Raja Basharat said that Samiullah Khan should be ashamed of his act and he should tender an apology in the House also. “You can judge the seriousness of opposition for legislation in the House that they couldn’t give even a single amendment to the bill passed here yesterday,” said Basharat, while mocking at the opposition. Earlier they demand production orders for the opposition leader who isn’t interested in the business of the House as he comes here only to do politics, he added. Then, the law minister started government business in which the time period of four ordinances was extended. The PML-N came back in the House and MPA Samiullah Khan demanded the floor to speak but in vain. He kept pressing to get the floor repeatedly to respond the Law minister but the Chair didn’t give him floor. The PML-N MPAs tore the copies of agenda item in protest and chanted slogans against the government. “Dar Gaye… Dar Gaye” slogans were chanted by MPA Azma Zahid Bukhari in the House.

Later, talking to Daily Times, MPA Samiullah Khan said that he didn’t do anything wrong as it is his prerogative being an MPA to point out the quorum at any time. “I wonder why law minister reacted this way and started talking about the production orders of the opposition leader,” said Samiullah Khan. The law minister started criticising the opposition leader but I want to ask him regarding the performance and attendance of Chief Minister in the House, MPA Samiullah added.

It is pertinent to mention here that the opposition leader Hamza Shahbaz meets dozens of political workers and leaders at his chamber on daily basis and spends most of the time outside the House in Punjab Assembly.

Earlier, answers related to the Communication and Works department were given by the parliamentary secretary Sardar Shahabuddin during the question hour and he failed to answer the queries of lawmakers in satisfactory way. Both the Speaker and Deputy Speaker were missing from the House and the session was chaired by senior lawmaker and Panel of Chairman Mian Shafi. The house was later adjourned to meet again on Friday morning.