LAHORE – The Punjab Assembly witnessed a pandemonium on Wednesday when the lawmakers used harsh words while debating the role of turncoats. Most vocal on the issue were the provincial law minister and the opposition leader in the assembly.
The house proceedings were in progress as per routine until a senior minister Raja Riaz on a point-of-order said that PML-N should say goodbye to the PML-Q unification bloc and desist the temptation of encouraging turncoats. The suggestion proved was more than enough to initiate another tit for tat argumentation and verbal onslaught ensued from either side political fence- the PML-N and the PPP.
Raja Riaz praised his party leadership for showing ‘political wisdom’ by accepting 10 point agenda of PML-N Quaid Mian Nawaz Sharif. He targeted the ‘unification bloc’ of PML-Q and said the ‘turncoats’ were delighted over the differences between coalition partners and eyeing public offices.
“PPP and PML-N have jointly struggled against those encouraging and patronising turncoats in the past regime and this undemocratic tactics suit dictator and those who might benefit from them”, he added. He advised Rana Sanaullah and his party leadership to avoid patronizing deserters of Q-League.
Rana Sanaullah while responding to Raja’s remarks said that the PML-N always had always invited the ‘unification bloc’ for lunch and that his party always called them honorable legislators and not the turncoats.
He said that it was a PCO chief justice who got PML-N leadership disqualified in a bid to change government in the province. It was the PPP and not the PML-N that tried to woo the ‘unification bloc’ members during the Governors’ Rule in the province.
“Raja Riaz himself had claimed support of over 200 MPAs and the unification bloc always stood with the PML-N and struggled against the undemocratic forces. PML-Q is not a party but a Lota League (turncoat league)” he said, adding that for curbing the menace of turncoat it was necessary to eliminate ‘mother of this evil’.
Rana said, ‘I appreciate unification bloc members for waging war against mother of turncoats. People rejected turncoats in February 18 elections and unification bloc will kill the remaining including the mother of turncoats and thieves”.
On this the leader of the opposition Chaudhary Zaheer-ud-Din on a-point-of order said that the law minister made two contradictory statements. “On the one hand, the PML-N waged ‘jihad’ against turncoats and at the same time, it is patronising and appreciating unification bloc”. He said, “The mother of turncoat is that which took the legislators to Changa Manga and turncoat is a turncoat whether made in 1988 or after that. If Rana Sanaullah wants to end the menace of turncoats, he should focus on own party leadership”.
He also appreciated PPP for looking toward party leadership instead of making turncoats to get the required number of parliamentarians.
Earlier, the acting speaker Rana Mashhood while taking serious notice of the fake attendance by the elected members ordered to place the attendance register in front of his chamber to avoid the ‘cheating’ and ‘fraudulent’ activities by the MPAs.
Some of the MPA have not been attending the session for many months but interestingly according to the attendance record they are regularly attending the house proceedings. Law minister requested the chair to take notice of the ‘immoral practice’.
Raja and Sana hit out at each other
