The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz -led opposition on Monday submitted a requisition to convene a session of Punjab Assembly to discuss hyperinflation and deteriorating situation of dengue virus in the province.
The requisition was submitted to Punjab Assembly Secretary Muhammad Khan Bhatti by the PML-N lawmakers. As per reports, senior lawmakers of PML-N, including MPAs Samiullah Khan, Khalil Tahir Sandhu, Kh Imran Nazir, Pir Ashraf Rasool, Mian Abdul Rauf and Sadia Taimoor, submitted the requisition on behalf of the opposition benches to convene the session.
According to the rules of business of the Punjab Assembly, the speaker is bound to convene the session within fourteen days of the submission of the requisition signed by 1/4th of the members of the House. PML-N has 165 members in the House of 371, while only 93 MPAs are required to submit the requisition.
Speaking on the occasion, former health minister and PML-N Lahore’s General Secretary MPA Kh Imran Nazir said that the dengue cases are on the rise continuously but the government is in a slumber. “These rulers will be held responsible both in the parliament and on the roads as they have made the lives of common people miserable,” he said while appealing to the people to come on the roads “against this fascist regime”.
Talking to MinuteMirror, senior PML-N lawmaker MPA Samiullah Khan said that they want to discuss the worsening situation of dengue and inflation. “We submitted the requisition on the directions of leader of the opposition, Hamza Shehbaz, to discuss the issues that are directly affecting the masses,” he said. Khan was of the view that it is the darkest phase in the history of Pakistan. “People are dying due to dengue, corona and now the bomb of inflation has made their life miserable,” he said. “These are the issues of public and we want to debate them in the house that is representative of people,” said MPA Samiullah Khan, who is also member of business advisory committee of Punjab Assembly.
He added that PDM and PML-N have announced they would hold protest rallies on the roads against inflation and price hike. This protest would be held both on the roads and in the parliament, he said.
Meanwhile, two resolutions were also submitted in Punjab Assembly on Monday against inflation and recent increase in petroleum prices. MPA Mian Abdul Rauf of PML-N said in his resolution that the petroleum prices were increased eight times since July this year. “This House rejects the recently increased petroleum prices and demands from the federal government to take back this increase in prices,” the MPA said in his resolution.
A woman lawmaker, Aunaiza Fatima, also condemned the increase in the petroleum prices in her resolution. In another resolution, MPA Sadia Taimoor said that the government was deliberately hiding the actual situation of dengue in the province. The resolution said that the government was not telling the exact number of cases and deaths reported due to dengue to hide its negligence.
“This house demands that facts related to dengue must be brought in front of the people and a comprehensive strategy must be devised to contain the virus,” said the MPA in her resolution.
