LAHORE, Nov 18: It was a day of unusual happenings at the Punjab Assembly (PA) on Tuesday --- proceedings began in time; treasury women MPAs revolted against their male colleagues and walked out of the house; the chair took long time in bringing back the protesters to the house; the treasury accommodated almost all the bills and resolutions moved by the opposition, and all items on the agenda were not only taken up but the job was also finished well in time.

Deputy Speaker Rana Mashhud, who is presiding the session as speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan is in Karachi, took the chair at 10am when only one member was present in the house.

The chair waited for more members for 15 minutes and started the proceedings as it was private members’ day. Traditionally no quorum is pointed out on this day.

The question hour passed smoothly because of the low attendance of MPAs.

During the privileges motions, Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP’s) Sagheera Islam raised the non-provision of development funds to women MPAs.

She criticised Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan, saying that when he was on opposition benches in the previous assembly he used to be a vocal and now he was tight-lipped on the issue.

PPP’s Faiza Malik said women MPAs had not been included in the committee formed to resolve the issue of funds for women members.

She said the area a woman MPA was living in could be considered her constituency.

Pakistan Muslim League-N’s (PML-N’s) Shehzadi Omarzadi Tiwana said she could make it to the assembly on a general seat only through development funds she had got as an MNA against a reserved seat in the last government.

Another woman MPA threatened with a sit-in outside the assembly building if their demand was not met.

Law Minister Sanaullah said a committee had been formed to devise a strategy.

As the assembly has terminated the Zohr prayers break, PPP’s Malik Abbas Raan was in a fix because of his obligation to God and his opposition to funds for women colleagues .

“If I go to offer prayers, there is every risk of women MPAs wining the demand for funds. And if I stay put, the prayer time will be over,” he said.

PML-Q forward bloc’s Jalaluddin Dhakku claimed he had reached an agreement with PPP’s Azma Bokhari that next time males should be elected against reserved seats and women be given funds with the condition that they would contest on general seats.

A treasury member was worried that as most of the women MPAs belonged to the northern Punjab, with the utilisation of their funds the southern part of the province would be marginalised.

Fed up with long debate and the women’s consistent demand for funds, a treasury MPA said that “one woman is being taken as worthier than four men.:

This infuriated the treasury women and they walked out of the house. The chair, however, ignored the walkout and continued the proceedings until an opposition member said that nobody had been directed to bring back the protesters. Even then the chair kept the issue pending and got it resolved only after 40 minutes. Traditionally, whenever any MPA walks out of the house, the speaker immediately forms a committee to bring back the protesters to the house.

On their return, the women demanded expunging of the remarks and an apology from the member. The second part of the demand, however, was not materialised.

The treasury also did not oppose any of the three bills and four resolutions tabled by the opposition.

Through the bills, the opposition demanded that the government allow MPAs to visit child protection institutions in their constituencies; the Punjab Irrigation Development Authority present its annual report for discussion before the house and MPAs be allowed to visit hospitals, dispensaries, social welfare offices and educational institutions, in their constituencies for forwarding a report to the minister about their performance.

The chair referred the bills to special committees as standing committees have yet to be formed.

The house demanded through resolutions that the federal government bind the banks to pay interest to their depositors two per cent more than the inflation rate; officials of Civil Secretariat, Lahore High Court and Punjab Assembly be provided residences and a residential colony be established for film, TV and stage artistes.

The house delayed a resolution by Haji Zulfikar Ali that demanded the release of the prisoners who had served their term but were not release for non-payment of their fines.

The law minister said the fines imposed by a court of law could not be forgiven as these were the right of the victims.

The house also accepted moves demanding discussion on flour shortage and price-hike, health policy, constitution of Zakat committees and dangerous buildings and referred those to the business advisory committee for fixing discussion days.

As the house began with unusual things, it ended the day unusually. The chair completed the agenda half an hour before its closure time and adjourned the proceedings for Wednesday morning. Usually the house has to extend the time to take up all agenda items or the business is delayed for next time.