Daily Times

The opposition in Punjab Assembly staged severe protest on Monday over the hike in petroleum prices during the ongoing session. The MPAs of opposition including the PML-N and PPP were carrying the placards while chanting slogans against the government over the recent hike in petroleum prices. As per the details, the session of Punjab Assembly started with delay of more than one hour from its scheduled time with Deputy Speaker Sardar Dost Muhammad Mazari in the chair. The general debate on Supplementary Budget of 2019-20 was also started on Monday.

As the Opposition started its protest, the provincial law minister Raja Basharat stood up and put a demand to the Deputy Speaker Sardar Dost Muhammad Mazari for holding an inquiry over making video clips and carrying play cards by the opposition in Punjab Assembly. Law Minister criticized the opposition for making video clips and holding placards in the House. Deputy Speaker Mazari referred the matter to concerned inquiry committee. Although Monday’s session was fixed for general discussion on supplementary budget for fiscal year 2019-20, the Opposition decided to stage protest over the price hike.

PPP’s parliamentary leader Syed Hassan Murtaza speaking on general discussion on supplementary budget, came down hard on the PTI-led government. He said that the government is killing its own people instead of taking action against Flour Mafia, Sugar Mafia and now the Petrol Mafia by increasing the prices of these essential items. He was mocking at the Prime Minister as he said that whenever our PM takes notice of price hike, it further increases and it is now evident that it is beyond his capacity. He further added that government itself gave benefit of billions to the Petrol Mafia through artificial shortage in the country. Shedding light on the supplementary budget, he said only DG Khan was focused in the budget while the rest areas were fully ignored. “The supplementary budget consists of 472 pages and most of the development work was focused on DG Khan only while his home constituency Chiniot didn’t get anything,” the PPP leader lamented. The PTI used to taunt ‘Takht-e-Lahore’ for focusing on this city and now they have made ‘Takht-e-DG Khan’ that is the home constituency of Chief Minister, he added.

As the former PMLN’s Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan started lamenting the price hike of the petroleum products, the PMLN lawmakers started creating pandemonium in the House. Go Niazi Go, Atta chor, Cheeni Chor were the slogans chanted in the House. PML-N’s Samiullah Khan, Khalil Tahir Sandhu and PPP’s Syed Hassan Murtaza were at the forefront during the protest. As some opposition lawmakers started making video of the protest, the provincial law minster demanded strict action to which the Deputy Speaker Mazari referred the matter to the inquiry committee.

PMLN’s MPA Kanwal Liaquat said around 70 to 80 percent of the total budget allocated for police department was used for salaries while only 5 percent is left for the operational purpose so how a poor man could expect dispensation of justice at the hands of police. PTIs lawmakers Uzma Kardar, Sabin Gull and others defending the budget said the present circumstances are the results of the bad polices of the PMLN’s previous regime. It is only PTI government that is making efforts to put the country on its right track, they said.

Later, the session was adjourned to meet again on Tuesday at 2pm.