LAHORE:
The Punjab Assembly on Monday witnessed heated exchanges between the Treasury and the opposition over the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister’s recent visit, as proceedings were repeatedly disrupted by procedural wrangling and sharp political rhetoric.
Tensions flared early in the session when members of both sides attempted to raise points of order before question time. However, the panel of chairs firmly rejected the requests and ruled that points of order could only be addressed after question time had ended.
Despite repeated protests, the president stood by the decision and ordered members to comply with the rules of procedure.
On the request of the department concerned, all matters relating to the Department of Planning and Development were adjourned and the House proceeded with matters relating to other departments.
Panel Chairperson Samiullah Khan also expressed strong displeasure over the absence of Secretary and Special Secretary of Department of Human Rights and Minority Affairs.
Terming his absence “highly irresponsible”, he ordered the secretary to ensure his presence in the next session.
He further ordered that the department’s questions be put back on Tuesday’s agenda, categorically rejecting the presence of section officers as unacceptable.
During the proceedings, Treasury member Ahsan Raza drew the attention of the House to what he described as a serious education crisis in Kasur district.
He stated that almost 1.6 million children were currently out of school and called for the immediate hiring of teachers. He also urged the government to reverse the decision to merge key education-related departments, warning that such measures were making the situation worse.
From the opposition benches, Shoaib Ameer criticized the alleged treatment meted out to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister and his delegation during their stay in Lahore.
He called the situation “shameful” and accused the assembly administration of bias, stressing that the president’s office was constitutionally obliged to act with neutrality. He further alleged that guests from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were subjected to unnecessary restrictions.
Responding to the allegations, Provincial Minister Sohaib Ahmad Bharth categorically rejected the allegations of mistreatment.
He said the KP chief minister and his delegation were provided with full security and protocol, and arrangements were made well in advance.
He added that traffic police, Punjab police and Elite Force personnel were deployed, and challenged opposition members to substantiate claims of mass arrests with FIR and concrete evidence.
As the government failed to complete the quorum, the panel of chairpersons adjourned the session until 11am on December 30.
