LAHORE, March 5: Treasury member Amjad Hamid Dasti on Monday sent a ripple of excitement through the opposition when he asked a minister to resign if he was too powerless in getting his orders implemented.

On a point of order, Dasti told the house that the orders of the education minister had been flouted by the Layyah executive district officer (education) on the ground that he was answerable to the district nazim under the present setup.

Mr Dasti, who wanted to get a graduate recruited in the education department, visited the nazim but he expressed his helpless in the matter and advised him to approach Mr G.M Sikandar, a senior bureaucrat at the CM House.

Much to the joy of the opposition, Mr Dasti asked the minister to quit if he could not get his orders implemented.

This prompted the entire opposition to press with the demand for resignation by the minister. Some opposition members termed Dasti’s remarks a judgment on the performance of the government.

Criticising the government for rigging the entire system to benefit one person (the president), Rana Sanaullah, deputy opposition leader, said that Pakistan had many rulers during the last 60 years, but the present rulers were the worst.

Law Minister Raja Muhammad Bashrat put up spirited defence on the government behalf and dared the opposition to fix a date for discussing the performance of the present government which, according to him, was exemplary. The opposition, taking the challenge seriously, asked the chair to fix a date for such a debate.