Opposition in the Punjab Assembly on Tuesday claimed that the house was being run against the rules.
On floor of the House, senior PML-N lawmaker Azma Zahid Bukhari said that the members of the provincial assembly (MPAs) weren’t even provided the agenda of the day, which was against the rules of business of the house.
She was of the view that the government doesn’t even bother to answer the questions submitted by the honourable members of the august house. She went on to say that the MPAs were not given the copies of the bills passed by the house.
The situation emerged when Punjab Transport Minister Jehanzeb Khichi failed to satisfy the lawmakers’ queries related to his department during the question hour. The minister wasn’t fully prepared to answer the queries of the lawmakers.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Raja Basharat also showed displeasure over the poor performance of his fellow colleague.
“The minister takes detailed briefing over the questions submitted by the lawmakers one day before the session. The minister should come to the house with the latest and updated information, as a question loses its utility in three years,” the law minister said when Khichi was answering a question that was submitted three years ago.
He asked the Panel of Chairmen to give a ruling in this regard, who also agreed with the law minister’s suggestion.
During the question hour, PML-N MPA from Sahiwal Arshad Malik said there was a dire need to improve the system of public transport, as road accidents were common just because of it. The minister for transport failed to satisfy the MPA regarding his question. Tahir Pervaiz, an MPA from Faisalabad, also demanded better public transport system for his city.
Earlier, the women MPAs of PML-N protested outside the Punjab Assembly against the hyperinflation in the country. They were also accompanied by some workers of PML-N who chanted slogans against the government.
Separately, Federal Education Minister and newly named PTI’s Central Punjab President Shafqat Mahmood called on Pervaiz Elahi and discussed the new local government bill in detail. Shafqat Mahmood told the media that the PTI would field strong candidates in the upcoming local government polls after consulting its allied parties.
“We are on one page with our allies, including the PML-Q,” the minister said. Elahi is a seasoned politician and we’ll keep taking his input in the future, he said.
