LAHORE, Sept 2: Speaker Rana Iqbal on Monday blocked an opposition’s resolution against hike in petroleum prices, forcing it to boycott Punjab Assembly proceedings.

Soon after the start of the session which was about two hours behind its schedule, opposition leader Mian Mahmoodur Rashid on a point of order requested the speaker to allow the opposition to table a resolution against the increase petroleum prices.

The opposition leader said the masses would face price hike in the wake of the new petroleum prices and the government should immediately withdraw it.

The speaker said he could not allow (the anti-government) resolution in the absence of Law Minister Rana Sanaullah.

The opposition leader demanded that some other minister should be asked to represent Sana’s department but the speaker stuck to his earlier stance.

On this, ‘angry’ opposition members of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid, People’s Party and Jamaat-i-Islami first stood from their seats and started shouting against the speaker’s decision calling it ‘illogical’ and then walked out of the house. However, the opposition ended the boycott after 15 minutes.

PPP’s Faiza Malik drew the attention of the chair towards non-provision of diplomatic passports to legislators of the Punjab Assembly.

She said during the previous government the provincial assembly’s legislators were issued diplomatic passports.

The speaker said the house would discuss this matter latter.

Earlier in the Question Hour, Livestock Minister Bilal Yasin could not satisfy the legislators. He was asked to give a satisfactory reply on the quality of the meat the people were consuming.

The legislators demanded that the government take steps to ensure provision of ‘halal’ meat.

The speaker prorogued the session.

MOTION: The PML-Q on Monday submitted an adjournment motion in the Punjab Assembly against the sacking of 279 traffic wardens.

PML-Q deputy parliamentary leader Waqas Hasan Moakal and Amer Sultan Cheema said the Punjab government’s decision to sack 279 wardens seemed to be “politically driven”.

They said the Punjab government had deprived the 279 families of livelihood. They said the wardens were fired merely on inquiries against them, which was unfair.

Muslim League-Quaid leaders said ‘snatching livelihood’ to settle a political score as the wardens were recruited during Pervaiz Elahi’s government was fascism.