LAHORE: Unlike their party fellows in the National Assembly, the PML-N members of the Punjab Assembly ‘overwhelmingly’ welcomed the Pakistan Tahreek-i-Insaf’s return to the house.

The treasury members thumped desks when the PTI members arrived in the house. Before that PML-N’s Rana Sanaullah, Raja Ashfaq Sarwar and Rana Arshad greeted the PTI legislators at the assembly’s stairs.

Official sources told Dawn there were ‘strict instructions’ from Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to the treasury members that no one would hackle the opposition MPAs on their return to the house.

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Accordingly, not a single treasury member dared to taunt the PTI lawmakers who returned to the house after seven-month-long absence. In the last week of August the PTI members had tendered their resignations to the speaker to press the government for audit of the 2013 general elections.

In his ‘welcome’ address, Rana Sanaullah said the house was incomplete without opposition (PTI members).

“The PTI’s stance was its democratic right but change only comes through vote. We will accept difference of opinion and hope the PTI will play the role of opposition in an effective manner,” Mr Sanaullah said.

Earlier, talking to reporters outside the assembly, Punjab’s former law minister said in a lighter vein: “If Reham Khan (Imran Khan’s wife) is behind the PTI’s decision to return to the national and provincial assemblies we hope in future she will continue playing her role.” He also requested Imran Khan not to call the parliament fake. “Any change through violence is never positive,” he commented.

Opposition Leader Mahmoodur Rashid said the return of PTI members to the assembly was not success of any party but of the whole nation. “All political parties have consensus that rigging is a regular feature of elections (in the country). We were fighting for rigging-free elections in the future. The constitution of a judicial commission (to audit the 2013 elections) is a victory of our stance,” he said, adding the PTI’s struggle was for strengthening the institutions in the country.

Deputy Speaker Sher Ali Gorchani, who was in the chair, told Mr Rashid that the house “really missed” the PTI members, when he asked whether their absence was felt.

However, this cordiality could last long when the opposition leader drew the attention of the chair towards the mega housing project of the Lahore Development Authority. “A big scam is in the offing as billions of rupees are being collected from the people in the name of LDA City housing scheme,” he said.

On Mr Rashid’s query, Finance Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman asked the opposition leader to send him pre-budget proposals in writing as the house had already concluded a debate on it.

The house also adopted three bills – The Punjab Disabled Persons (Employment and Rehabilitation) (Amendment) Bill 2015, The Lahore Arts Council (Amendment) Bill 2015 and The Punjab Social Protection Authority Bill 2015. The house voted out all proposed amendments tabled by the PML-Q in The Punjab Social Protection Authority Bill 2015. The two bills were passed unanimously.

During the Question Hour, Education Minister Rana Mashhood said the government had spent Rs10 billion on missing facilities in schools across the province since 2010. He said the government was going to hire 40,000 teachers.

He said the chief minister had directed each MPA to adopt a school in his/her constituency. He said he issued a show-cause notice to seven EDOs and suspended from service two assistant directors for not providing correct information to the house regarding different questions.

The speaker prorogued the session.

Published in Dawn, April 7th, 2015

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