LAHORE: Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi has yet again asked the Punjab government to control inflation instead of merely making verbal claims, saying people have been pushed against the wall and are unable to make both ends meet.

Speaking to a delegation led by Zubair Ahmad Khan, the PML-Q Rawalpindi president and political coordinator of the PA speaker, on Friday, Mr Elahi said the people needed relief from inflation. Islam taught humanity and giving relief to the people was a service to humanity, he said. “There is a need to formulate a comprehensive plan to control inflation,” he added.

The PML-Q parliamentary party had last month also expressed concern over unbridled price hike and inflation and asserted that it was becoming difficult with every passing day to continue supporting the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) Punjab and federal governments. The members had vented their anger against the governments and remarked that they were unable to face their voters.

In the parliamentary party meeting he chaired, Mr Elahi had expressed concern over ever-increasing value of US dollar and prices of petrol, electricity and gas as well as deteriorating situation of law and order in the province.

He continues making statements against govt to get certain tasks accomplished, believes PTI

A PML-Q spokesman had said the government had failed to solve people’s problems and was busy making issues out of non-issues. He said the situation would deteriorate further if the government did not focus on the problems.

The PTI’s Punjab government, however, believes that Mr Elahi continues making statements against the government to pressurise it and get certain tasks accomplished. “Mr Elahi and the PML-Q parliamentary party keep criticising the PTI’s Punjab government even when all of their demands regarding transfers and postings, development packages for various districts and constituencies and provision of development funds are met,” a senior government official told Dawn on condition of anonymity.

The government officials said the Punjab Assembly speaker had also expressed reservations over the proposed local government law, called for a briefing as the acting governor and sought certain amendments. However, he had agreed to the proposed law after a high-powered delegation met the PML-Q leader on the instruction of the chief minister.

Mr Elahi had also raised objections to the use of electronic voting machines in the coming elections and got a joint session of parliament called off briefly, but later accepted the government’s proposal after holding negotiations with the ruling party. A PML-Q spokesman had agreed at that time the party was going with the tide.

An insider told Dawn that the PML-Q was still making statements against the government to prepare ground to part ways with the PTI — maybe before the next elections.

In the meeting with the PML-Q delegation, the PA speaker stressed that the provinces needed to take immediate precautionary measures in case more cases of Omicron variant of Covid-19 were detected in Karachi.

Mr Elahi expressed confidence in Zubair Ahmad Khan and appreciated his performance. Mr Khan presented a report regarding the cantonment board elections and organisation of the party in Rawalpindi. He invited Mr Elahi to inaugurate a new party secretariat in the city.

The delegation included Political Coordinator of Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and PML-Q Rawalpindi general secretary, Fayyaz Tabassum, central vice president Shahbaz Goshi, Anjum Kayani, Gujjar Khan and Chaudhry Bilal Warraich.

Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2021