The 29th brief session of the Punjab Assembly (PA) beginning here today (Thursday) is likely to be a stormy affair, with the joint opposition prepared to corner Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s government on several key issues such as the Saraiki province and the allegedly unfair distribution of development funds to various districts.
The PA session, convened on the requisition of joint opposition members, is scheduled to begin at 10am with Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal in the chair. During the session, lawmakers of the Pakistan People’s party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), apart from taking up the Saraiki province issue, are expected to discuss issues such as the alleged mismanagement of funds, the financial crunch prevailing in the province and the suspension of opposition legislators’ development funds, in order to embarrass the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government.
PA Opposition Leader Raja Riaz Ahmad and other opposition members will take the floor. The PA speaker has released the agenda of the session, according to which parliamentarians’ questions about the Health Department would be taken up. According to PA Secretary Maqsood Ahmed Malik, the session was convened by the speaker under Article 154 (Sub Section 3) read with Article 127, on the requisition of 110 members, to deliberate on the woeful financial condition of the province.
He said further that the two resolutions submitted by the PML-Q and the PML-Zia about the formation of the new provinces in southern Punjab were not included in the official business of the assembly as the session was being held on Thursday, while the resolutions could only be presented on private members day, which was Tuesday.
OPP MEMBERS’ RESOLUTIONS: Raja protested strongly to the denial of the resolutions and said the speaker had not been impartial in the matter and was aiding the PML-Nawaz (PML-N). He said the PML-N and the speaker, under a conspiracy, had tried to snub the voice of the people of southern Punjab, but the opposition would not let them succeed.
Raja said he was astonished that the agenda demands of opposition legislators were not included in the official business of the assembly for the session. PML-Q parliamentary leader Chaudhry Zaheeruddin said the assembly did not belong to a single political party but was representing 80 million Punjabis, and nobody would be allowed to highjack the House for personal motives.
He said denial to include the resolutions on southern Punjab was an injustice to the suppressed people of the area, upon which they would vehemently protest as it was their constitutional right.
