LAHORE, Feb 15: Quick and unanimous adoption of the resolution on the drug regulation at federal level was the only serious business performed by the Punjab Assembly on Wednesday. The rest was badmouthing and ridiculing each other by the Pakistan People’s Party and the Muslim League-Nawaz stalwarts.

The opposition staged a walkout after indulging in mudslinging with the Treasury and pointed short quorum, disallowing the law minister to present The Bank of Punjab (Amendment) Bill 2011.

The Treasury members who had melted away after the adoption of the resolution never returned to the House to maintain quorum, leaving no option for Speaker Rana Iqbal but to prorogue the session sine die.

Soon after the resolution was presented, Opposition leader Raja Riaz condemned the chief minister for delaying it for one year, also holding him responsible for what he said the “murder of heart patients due to free drugs.”

Law Minister Rana Sanaullah (who leads the House in the absence of Mr Shahbaz Sharif) passed personal remarks against Mr Riaz. PML-N’s Waris Kalloo availed the opportunity to ridicule Mr Riaz, saying he was best suited for wrestling arenas and making speeches from top of the clock tower in his native Faisalabad.

Praising the resolution and the 20th Amendment were brief interludes in the blame game.

Speaker Rana Iqbal repeatedly intervened and expunged the remarks he found not suitable for inclusion in the business of the House.

The session began at 12.15pm, two hours and 15 minutes behind its scheduled time and continued for 55 minutes.

The opposition members walked out while demanding development funds which, they said, had not been given to them despite assurances.

The law minister welcomed the boycott and said he could table the bill some other time, without showing any remorse for the government’s failure to adopt the bill.

The session began with the announcement that as per the business advisory committee’s decision, no-one would oppose the resolution.

Raja Riaz, after announcing that he backed the resolution, alleged that chief minister was creating hurdles in the way of the federal government. He said all provinces except Punjab had allowed the federal government to engage National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) in preparation of arms licences but Mr Sharif did not do so despite a promise.

He alleged that the chief minister avoided 100-day sitting of the provincial assembly, which was mandatory in a parliamentary year, because he (CM) conspired for the dissolution of assemblies.

Mr Riaz said Rana Sanaullah had ridiculed the House by declaring that he held the home department portfolio which was not true. The chief minister, he said, also did the same by not coming to the House (to explain his government’s position on the issue of the deaths of heart patients) despite an announcement.

The law minister declared Raja Riaz ‘irrelevant’ and unprepared for the resolution. But his reply to the allegation of delaying the resolution revealed why the most important drug regulating authority could not be created.

The minister said that other provinces had passed the resolution a year ago because the federal government had transferred them its hospitals. Punjab did not do so because the federal government did not transfer Lahore’s Sheikh Zayed Hospital to it, he added.

“It (Centre) has surrendered the hospital last (Tuesday) night and we have tabled the resolution within 24 hours. The federal government corrected itself and we have tabled the resolution,” he said.

Raja Riaz quipped that this showed the ‘property grabbing’ habit of the Punjab government. “Everyone knows what they have been doing with their own hospitals,” he said.

PML-Q’s Chaudhry Zaheer who came late, congratulated the House for passing the resolution. He also praised all the parties for passing the 20th Amendment and stressed the need for changing attitudes for the fortification of the democratic system.

His remarks were followed by the ultimate which the law minister could not anticipate while requesting the speaker to allow two members each of the PPP and his party to speak on the resolution.

PPP’s Zulfikar Gondal again targeted the chief minister for not taking the House into confidence regarding the death of heart patients. He also mentioned the ‘weakness’ of the law minister in prompting the chief minister to come to the House, and prescribed ‘special medicines’ to strengthen him.

He demanded development funds for the Opposition and said it would not allow the House proceedings till the amounts were released.

The MPA said the Sheikh Zayed Hospital was built by the Dubai rulers on the request of the late Mr Bhutto. It was not transferred to Punjab because of complications related to its funding by Dubai government.

PML-N’s Rana Afzal took exception to Raja Riaz’s derogatory remarks against the chief minister. “He has been calling the chief minister as the Qatil-i-Aala (the chief murderer) whereas none of the relatives of the dead heart patients are calling him thekiller,” he said.

Waris Kalloo’s outburst against Raja Riaz came after the latter hit the law minister below the belt. Mr Kalloo was ignored by the Opposition members who went out raising slogans against the government and demanding development funds.