The war of words between legislators from across the political divide continued on the seventh day of the Punjab Assembly (PA) budget session as lawmakers made derogatory comments against each other’s parties during the course of the debate on the annual financial document. The issue of Law Minister Rana Sanaullah’s comments against Dr Babar Awan resurfaced in the House on Monday with a different style when PA Opposition Leader Raja Riaz alleged that Sanaullah was threatening his party’s lawmakers for highlighting the Awan issue. He asked the speaker to constitute a parliamentary committee and give a ruling in this regard.
He said Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) MPA Azma Bukhari had received threats from Sanaullah for criticising him and taking a bold stance against him over the Awan issue in the media. Riaz said Azma was warned through a journalist to stop bringing up the issue on various forums. Demanding stern action, Riaz said that speaker must not take the matter lightly because Sanaullah’s behaviour was not tolerable. The speaker said Sanaullah would give his reply on the floor later, upon which Riaz, Azma, Sardar Zulfiqar Khosa and Zulfiqar Gondal left the House in protest. Ashraf Sohna, former labour minister from the PPP, said in his budget speech that the 2011-12 Punjab budget was not a “pro-poor” budget as it was prepared under the supervision of a person who had his son’s wedding reception at a lavish hotel in Dubai where per hour charges were $160,000. Suggesting that salary payment to 40 million labourers of the province through bank cheques be made compulsory, he said the PA should seriously consider the suggestion as the step would reduce poverty by 50pc.
Criticising the Punjab government’s steps, he said on the one hand, it spoke at length of eliminating corruption from the province, but on the other a corrupt person was appointed vice-chancellor of a university against a Supreme Court decision. He said the vice-chancellor’s son was granted a medical degree without undergoing an examination for it as well. PPP minority lawmaker Pervaiz Rafique criticised the Punjab government for not allocating appropriate funds to the minorities and said as opposed to the Rs 220 billion ADP, only Rs 220 million were earmarked for over 5 million minority members in Punjab. He said Rs 260 million were fixed for Chief Minister’s House expenditures and Rs 22.5 million were earmarked for the payment to informers of the Punjab police, while the kids of 5 million minority members would get only Rs 16 per head as scholarship stipend, if given. Other lawmakers who spoke on the budget were PPP’s Sajida Mir, Fouzia Behram, PML-N’s Waris Kallo, Asghar Ali Manda and PML-Q’s Zobia Rubab Malik. Khadija Umar of the PML-Q read out Moonis Elahi’s budget speech on his behalf. In the speech, Elahi said since he had been unjustifiably refused his fundamental right as an elected public representative by none less than the house custodian himself, he deemed it necessary to present his views, analyses and observations on the Punjab budget in writing.
