LAHORE: A sloganeering match between the treasury and the opposition in the Punjab Assembly on Friday created commotion in the house halting smooth conduct of the official business.

Opposition members belonging to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) assembled in the open space before the speaker’s chair and shouted slogans accusing Rana Iqbal of not giving them time to express their point of view.

Soon after the Question Hour was over and the house was to take up official business that included the Local Government (amendment) and Local Government (6th amendment) bills, the opposition pointed out lack of quorum.

The treasury managed to gather 94 MPAs required for continuing the proceedings after the bells were rung first for five and then for 20 minutes.

Opposition leader Mehmoodur Rasheed then took the floor on a point of order to lament that PML-N ministers and leaders were maligning Shaukat Khanum hospital, a charity institution. He stressed that Nawaz Sharif would have to resign on the Panama issue and the PML-N come up with a new prime minister. He said state institutions had started taking steps in the right direction after the PTI woke them up from their slumber.

The PPP’s Shahabuddin blamed the treasury for spoiling atmosphere in the house and disallowing the opposition to speak. He alleged that the government was plotting to derail itself though the PPP was against it.

He cautioned that if the PML-N did not fulfil the four demands put forward by Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari by Dec 27, the party would resort to a full-throttle protest across the country.

As the speaker rejected points of order made by the opposition members, the PTI MPAs assembled before his chair and started raising slogans such as ‘Go Nawaz Go’ to which the treasury responded with a slogan of ‘Ro Imran Ro’ (cry Imran cry).

During the sloganeering, the two bills were introduced in the house and the chair then put off the proceedings for Monday afternoon.

The opposition then staged a protest demonstration on the staircase of the assembly building and raised slogans against the government.

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2016

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