LAHORE: The Punjab government on Tuesday vowed to devise a farmer-friendly wheat procurement policy in consultation with the provincial lawmakers, and agreed to discuss threadbare grabbing of state land and who changed laws to convert residential areas into commercial zones.

The assurances came in response to two resolutions that PML-N MPAs Safdar Shakir and Sheikh Alauddin moved during the assembly session which began at 12:20pm instead of the scheduled 11am.

The opposition members pointed out quorum twice, but the session continued due to the treasury’s overwhelming presence. “Pointing out short quorum on a private members day is regrettable,” Law Minister Raja Basharat said.

He said while the opposition was disrupting the proceedings he had got extended the mandate of a committee formed to have the rules of business amended to allow for the production of MPA Khwaja Salman Rafique, who is in the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). “We are going to do this during this session and also constitute the Public Accounts Committee and standing committees tomorrow,” he said. Permission to allow the rules of business committee to function during the current session was also granted.

Responding to Mr Shakir’s resolution on wheat procurement, Food Minister Samiullah Chaudhry said that the government was devising a farmer-friendly policy. He looked perplexed when the chair asked him whether he was opposing or supporting the resolution.

After the chair sought the House’s approval of the resolution, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Saeed Nivani said the previous government’s policy was flawed and had led to exploitation of farmers. The food minister agreed and asked members to debate the issue and help the government form a better policy. “Unlike the recent past, no farmer will be humiliated now,” he claimed.

Responding to the resolution moved by Mr Alauddin about the establishment of educational institutions in a residential area of Lahore, the law minister regretted that institutions were misused and destroyed to grab state land. He said hotels, expo centres and shopping malls were allowed to be built on hundreds of kanals but the present government was retrieving the grabbed state land.

He said the government was also trying to restore cities of Punjab to their original shapes, offering the opposition a day-long debate on the issue to suggest proposals.

Earlier, PML-N’s Samiullah Khan said the House faced a crisis in the absence of the speaker or deputy speaker on Monday. And a press release issued by the office of the deputy speaker said later in the evening that he was in Rahim Yar Khan where he was called over by the UAE crown prince -- who was hunting there. The deputy speaker had undermined sanctity of the House, he alleged.

Minister Chaudhry Zaheer retorted that the crown prince was on a goodwill visit. The present government would not allow any hunting, he claimed.

Responding to an adjournment motion moved by PML-N’s Chaudhry Ashraf, Health Minister Yasmin Rashid said after the death of a child at Ganga Ram Hospital, the government posted senior registrars to paediatric emergency wards of all hospitals. No junior doctor would discharge a child without consulting a senior doctor, she said, adding that the trainee doctor who had treated the child had been fired after an inquiry.

Minorities Minister Ejaz Alam assured PML-N minority member Khalil Tahir Sandhu of the resolution of the age-old issue of return of the property of Lahore’s Rang Mahal School, Sialkot’s Murray College and Rawalpindi’s Gordon College to the Christian community soon. Supporting him, the law minister said the previous government had delayed the issue.

PML-N’s Zaheer Iqbal criticised the chief minister’s recent visit to south Punjab and said the cabinet meeting in Bahawalpur was just a ploy. He continued to speak even after the chair disallowed him.

Speaking during the question hour, the law minister promised that recruitment process of 1,000 police constables in Faisalabad and promotions in all ranks would be completed.

Earlier, the House adopted a resolution condemning Indian atrocities against Kashmiri people and seeking an early resolution of the dispute. The resolution was moved by Mr Sajid Khan.

While praying for all the martyrs of Kashmir and early recovery of the injured, the House, through the federal government, asked all world bodies to demand the killings be stopped forthwith and the dispute resolved.

Published in Dawn, January 9th, 2019