Daily Times

The MPAs of the opposition benches and Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi showed dissatisfaction over the performance of agriculture department as the concerned minister failed to answer the queries of the lawmaker. Speaker Elahi directed the agriculture minister Nauman Langrial to come to the House with complete preparation related to his department and give satisfactory answers to the questions of lawmakers next time. The Punjab Assembly session started 1 hour and 40 minutes behind its scheduled time of 2 PM with Speaker Elahi in the chair and questions related to the agriculture department were there on the agenda item.

During the Question-Hour, PML-N MPA Samiullah Khan said that the whole nation is worried but the government is calm and the ministers don’t tell us the solutions of the problems. The government ministers come in the House without any preparation that is tantamount to wasting the time and money of the public, he added. PML-N MPA Sardar Awais Laghari revealed that the target of cotton will not be achieved this year by the government. It was endorsed by Agriculture Minister as he said that the crop of cotton decreased this year due to unusual rains. Speaker Elahi said that it seems that the agriculture universities are doing nothing in the research field. “The wheat of Punjab used to be considered as the best at one time but now it is the worst. The seed of rice is also much better in India as compared to Pakistan. No agriculture university could produce the seed of international standard,” said Speaker Elahi. He further added that the government isn’t serious in this issue and he can arrange a meeting between the government and seed producing companies whenever the government shows its seriousness in this regard.

Earlier, as the session started, PML-N MPA Khalil Tahir Sindhu criticized the Information Minister Feyyaz ul Hassan Chohan for labeling the veteran journalist Prof Waris Mir as a ‘traitor’. “The personalities like Faiz Ahmad Faiz and Prof Waris Mir are our assets,” said PML-N MPA, while requesting the Speaker to stop Chohan for uttering such remarks. He was referring towards the remarks of Chohan in which he said that Waris Mir, father of renowned journalist Hamid Mir, was a traitor and he played role in the creation of Bangladesh that was once part of Pakistan. Speaker said that Waris Mir was very respected and brave journalist who remained patriotic from his childhood to his death. He asked the Law Minister to look into the issue and if it is true then bring a unanimous resolution in the House to pay tribute to Waris Mir on Tuesday.

The Punjab Occupational Safety and Health (Amendment) Bill was introduced in the House while ‘Discussion on Orange Line Metro Train and Fixation of its Fare’ was also initiated. PML-N MPA Azma Bukhari said that the fare of Orange Time should be at 40 rupees only because public cannot afford amount exceeding to it. “This is a transport of student, labor class and poor people. Therefore its fare should be at 40 rupees,” she said. She also criticized the incumbent government for deliberately delaying this public welfare project.

MPAs Malik Ahmad, Syed Hassan Murtaza, Khawaja Imran Nazir and Rana Mashhood also participated in the debate. The session was later adjourned to meet again on Tuesday at 2 PM.