LAHORE: Jailed PTI founder Imran Khan was conspicuous by his “presence” in the Punjab Assembly on Thursday as a portrait of the ex-PM, placed on the opposition leader’s seat, triggered chaotic scenes in the house, prompting a walkout by treasury members after the chair declined to take any action.

As the budget session resumed on Thursday after a two-day break with Deputy Speaker Malik Zaheer Iqbal Channar in the chair, PML-N lawmakers Malik Waheed and Bilal Yameen protested after noticing Mr Khan’s portrait on opposition leader Malik Ahmed Khan Bhachhar’s seat.

On a point of order, they demanded the chair remove the portrait of a person “who has been convicted by a court of law and is still behind bars”. They claimed that bringing the picture of a convict into the house was against assembly rules.

However, the chair urged the protesters to become a part of the general debate on the budget, instead of raising points of order. But the two PML-N members continued their protest, disrupting proceedings and then walking out when the deputy speaker did not pass a ruling against the portrait.

PTI founder’s portrait on opposition leader’s seat prompts walkout by treasury members

They were followed by some more treasury bench members, as a sloganeering match broke out between PML-N and PTI lawmakers, now part of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).

Interestingly, this was probably one of the first times in parliamentary history that members of a parliamentary party, in this case the SIC, had raised slogans for a non-parliamentary party — i.e. the PTI — in the house.

Opposition leader Malik Ahmed Khan Bhachhar criticised the boycotting MPAs, saying that they lacked tolerance and insisting that the issue of placing the portrait of a political figure did not qualify for a ruling from the chair.

He said that those objecting to a portrait of the PTI leader had printed the image of their leader (Nawaz Sharif) on Ramazan Package hampers and were sending the same leader back to London, because his party had allegedly rejected him.

Punjab Finance Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman urged the MPAs who had left the house to return and participate in the budget debate. The deputy speaker directed Food Minister Bilal Yasin to bring back the protestors to the house.

However, failing to keep the house in order, the chair adjourned the proceedings for 10 minutes to calm down the situation.

Proceedings

When the proceedings finally resumed after the break, opposition leader Bhachhar opened general debate on the budget.

Criticising the financial plan, he said that, unlike the population rate, no specific amount had been allocated for the minorities and that a meagre allocation was also likely to be spent at the chief minister’s discretion.

He suggested restoring health cards and endorsing the initiative of allocating funds for facilities like day centres. He said that wom­en in the formal sector get some facilities, but those in the informal sector are denied all the facilities.

Mr Bhachhar demanded that 15 per cent of the overall development budget be allocated for the youth to bring them forward through skills training.

Baba Phailbus, a Christian member of the ruling party PML-N, lauded the budget and party leadership.

He said the chief minister, for the first time in history, announced a special package of Rs100 million on Easter. He suggested regularising the services of daily wagers and providing them with safety kits to avert Faisalabad-like incidents in which two men were suffocated while clearing a sewer line.

Opposition member Hafiz Tahir Qaisrani lamented the widespread poverty in rural south Punjab and criticised the construction of a new cancer hospital in Lahore while ignoring the southern belt of the province in the provision of health facilities.

Sadia Muzaffar, a treasury member, called it a balanced budget that reflected the vision of the chief minister.

SIC MPA Sajjad Waraich suggested that tube wells and health and education facilities should be converted to solar energy as a cost-cutting measure.

Referring to the regional backwardness, he said the children living in south Punjab could not compete with the children of Lahore because of a wide gap in the provision of facilities in both regions.

More than 18 members participated in the discussion on the first day of the debate as the chair postponed the proceedings for Friday (today) morning.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2024