LAHORE: Dispelling the impression that the opposition is on the same page with the treasury over increase in parliamentarians’ salaries, Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar says the government has its majority and the opposition can’t block legislation.

“The opposition has not been able to stop the government from passing the controversial Punjab Defamation Act,” he explained.

Speaking to media persons outside the assembly building on Monday, Mr Bhachar said the PML-N government had not taken opposition into confidence over the bill to massively increase the salaries of assembly members.

“The opposition opposes increase in salaries but it is the government’s prerogative,” he said and added that the salaries of Punjab Assembly parliamentarians were much less than their counterparts in other provinces.

To a question, the opposition leader said the government had pushed PTI MPAs, office-bearers, workers and members against the wall and this increase in salaries would not do anything good to the party’s MPAs.

Answering another question about the proposed call for disobedience, the opposition leader said a party delegation had gone to meet Imran Khan in jail and convey its decision. He said the PTI was also looking for a dialogue.

He said had the government formed a Judicial Commission to probe the May 9, 2023 riots, the Nov 26 massacre would not have happened.

Responding to a question about the death toll at D Chowk on Nov 26, Mr Bhachar said the party had given a list of 139 persons that include the missing and the injured. Alleging that the government had picked and hid the bodies, he claimed that the government representatives were visiting ‘missing persons’ families and threatening them with anti-terrorism cases, if they spoke about their [missing] family persons.

Answering a question that the government had unearthed a scandal of purchase of 310 vehicles by the Usman Buzdar government without approval, the opposition leader asked why was the incumbent PML-N government still silent and it should have been reflected in the NAB. He said the government was not even sparing PTI workers and members and trespassing on their homes to pick them.

Enumerating different failures to provide relief to masses including farmers, Mr Bhachar said the PML-N government’s 10 months was a complete failure.

Published in Dawn, December 17th, 2024