LAHORE: A tiny opposition in the Punjab Assembly did not allow the mighty treasury on Friday to begin its official business for broken quorum.

The house did the working, including Question Hour, for 55 minutes. Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal sought time from Opposition Leader Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed to accord extension to the presentation of reports by different standing committees.

After Pakistan Tehreek Insaf’s (PTI’s) Murad Rass pointed out broken quorum, the speaker waited for 40 minutes after adjourning session for 15 minutes but the treasury could not complete the number. Mr Iqbal adjourned the session till Monday 11am, primarily to ensure the treasury members reach by mid-day to run the house `unhindered’.

Mr Rasheed, on a point-of-order, criticised the government for not being able to overcome the energy crisis, saying that Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif used to shout himself hoarse that the crisis would be overcome within two years. “Four years have passed now and still the resolution of energy crisis is not even in sight,” he said.

Mr Rasheed said 14 hours loadshedding had begun with the sweltering heat taking its toll, adding that in most parts of the province the power supply situation was even worse with loadshedding touching 16 to 18 hours a day. He said the inauguration and working of new power plants could add no relief due to increase in population in the last four years.

Amid “shame, shame” slogans, the opposition leader said the power shortfall had reached some 6,000 mega watts (MW). He urged the government to stop spending money on projects like metro trains and instead divert resources to end power crisis so that the industry could continue running. Currently, he said, thousands of workers had been rendered jobless owing to the closure of factories because of power supply issues. As the heatwave would persist, he said, the Punjab would be protesting against the incumbent PML-N government. “The government must ensure that there is no load-shedding during Ramazan,” he demanded.

Earlier, the Question Hour related to industries, commerce and investment and prison departments was concluded in a half hour as the ministers responded to questions by a few members. Most movers of the questions were not present in the house.

PML-Q’s Sardar Vickas Waqas Hassan Mokal expressed his dissatisfaction over industries’ minister Sheikh Allauddin’s response and upon his request, the speaker asked the minister to discuss the issue in person for early resolution of the issue.

The speaker referred PML-N member Inamullah Niazi’s privilege motion to the privilege motion committee regarding posting of a police officials in his district despite bar imposed by the Punjab Assembly. The speaker stressed that the committee chairman should take strict action, if the police heads found disobeying the direction issued by the Punjab Assembly.

Like Question Hour, most adjournment motions were also disposed of as the movers were not present in the house. PTI’s Dr Murad Rass and Shunila Ruth read their adjournment motions about the expiry of costly injections at Punjab Institute of Cardiology and violation of Public Procurement Regulatory Authority rules in the purchase of medicines and other items at Services Hospital and other hospitals in the province. Sardar Mokal also presented his adjournment motion about the corruption of inspection teams of Punjab auqaf and religious affairs department.

MEDIA TALK: Speaking to reporters outside the Punjab Assembly building, Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said Punjab would present its budget for the 2017-18 financial year on June 5 or 6. “The upcoming Punjab budget will be people-friendly and tax-free besides massive allocations for the social sector, including education and health,” he said.

Rejecting opposition’s call as jugglery of figures in the federal budget, Mr Sanaullah said the details of the federal budget would explain that it too was people-friendly budget. He said the government employees would get relief in term of pay raise in the budget.

About loadshedding, the law minister said that there was power supply shortfall but a number of power projects were now joining the national grid and loadshedding would be tackled early next year. Besides the beginning of Bhikki and Sahiwal power plants, he said, 5,000MW would be added to the national grid by December and another 9,000 MW by March next year. He said the Punjab government had also invested huge money in the launch of Saaf Pani project to ensure that masses particularly in south Punjab as well as in rural areas could obtain safe drinking water.

He said the joint investigation team, constituted by the Supreme Court, had started investigation, while Mian Nawaz Sharif was on record that he would respond to all allegations being leveled against him and his family.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2017