Zaheer, Makhdoom warn govt to mend ways

By: Ch Aamer Waqas

LAHORE - Though carrying a question mark on his present status, Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Ch Zaheer-ud-Din here on Friday blasted the government for not actualising its pledges and promises made with the people of the province during the fiscal layout 2008-09.
He was closely followed by Parliamentary Leader of his party Pakistan Muslim League (Functional) Makhdoom Ahmed Mahmood, who averred that the disparity between the backward, and the ‘developed’ parts of the Punjab, could lead to more problems for the government.
The Makhdoom also suggested discussing of the Saraiki province openly before it was too late.
This is the first year during the PML-N government that the Opposition Leader opened the general discussion on the budget 2009-10, as last year, one of the parliamentary traditions was not met because no one was notified as the Opposition Leader till the announcement of the fiscal layout.
Ch Zaheer warned the Treasury benches of bringing a privilege motion against the government for not fulfilling its promises made with the people last year. “Why do you make pledges if you cannot actualise them?” he questioned, while adding that the masses were befooled, and there was no example of this. “It will be the first speech by an Opposition Leader, who would bring Privilege Motions to the House,” he added.
While raising a question about the coalition government’s two aspects - N-League criticising the federal budget of the PPP government, while PPP’s man presenting provincial budget - Zaheer was of the view that whatever was given to Finance Minister Tanveer Ashraf Kaira, he read it out. “The Punjab Cabinet comprises under-19 team,” he chided.
About the government’s failure in materialising its words, he said the government did not establish Price Control Board, while creating an assemblage of task forces, which miserably failed to deliver. “Widows’ loans are yet to be written off and no houses have been constructed for the shelterless as Rs 1 billion was allocated,” he said.

Opp members stage walkout

By: Ch Aamer Waqas
LAHORE - Though positively postured Opposition at the Punjab Assembly did not point out the quorum in an ever-thinning presence of the members, but it had to stage walkout from the floor thrice during a day’s proceedings on Saturday after it was grilled by the Treasury benches, and its estranged friends.
It all started immediately after proceedings started on Saturday when PPP’s Sajida Mir, on a point of order, criticised the Opposition members, and supported the idea of changing Leader of the Opposition Ch Zaheer-ud-Din.
Unification Bloc member Ijaz Shafi, who came to the fore for the first time with the idea of having a new Opposition Leader a day earlier, quickly stood up and supported Mir’s argument by saying that the matter should be resolved. But this made the Opposition’s female members go noisy, who started raising slogans ‘Lotay, Lotay’. Interestingly, Ijaz Shafi along with his present-day colleagues, had been facing the same situation, but at that time, it was done by the Treasury members, especially of the ‘N’ block. Now it seems that after announcing their support for the Shahbaz government, they have been ‘purged of’ the guilt that they defected the N-League, and became part of the Musharraf-sponsored PML-Q, and then again joined hands with the Sharifs.
Shafi’s tongue-in-cheek comment - ‘They (females) have reached the Assembly because of ‘Khairati (charity) seats’ - annoyed the Q-League females, who staged a walkout to demonstrate their disapproval. However, Ch Zaheer remained present and continued his speech, while pointing out that ‘Lota’ (turncoat) manufacturer PML-N’s Khawaja Ahmed Hasan should not be sitting in the official gallery. “He must leave the seat,” demanded Zaheer.

At this point, the House turned noisiest when both sides started raising slogans. The Treasury members demanded in loud voice that the Musharraf’s remnants must be thrown out of the Assembly premises.
Another member Tahir Khalil Sindhu retorted by saying that the Opposition’s leader Ch Pervaiz Elahi was one of the most prominent names known for manufacturing ‘turncoats’
The Nation: Sunday June 20, 2009
Q, ‘unification bloc’ bickering dominates PA
* PML-Q MPA says Saba Sadiq should sit on treasury benches
* Ejaz Shafi says new lawmakers unaware of democratic norms
* Tahir Javed says PML-Q should rename itself as ‘PML-Ladies’

By Rana Kashif

LAHORE: Bickering and exchange of comments between MPAs of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and the party’s ‘unification bloc’ dominated the proceedings of the Punjab Assembly (PA) session on Saturday.

The ‘debate’ lasted for almost one-and-a-half hours, with the House digressing from the actual post-budget debate.

It started with PML-Q MPA Simal Kamran saying MPA Saba Sadiq, elected on the PML-Q ticket, had no right of sitting on the opposition benches, after having accepted the portfolio of adviser to the chief minister. She said Sadiq’s presence on the opposition benches conveyed the message that the opposition was also part of the treasury.

Newly elected MPAs: In Sadiq’s defence, ‘unification bloc’ MPA Ejaz Shafi said there were many freshly elected lawmakers in the House, who did not have any training in democratic values and traditions. He insisted that the ‘unification bloc’ was the real PML, as it was in a majority. He said the ‘unification bloc’ wanted to help those who supported Pakistan.

Shafi said the ‘unification group’ had the support of 51 MPAs, out of the 83 elected on PML-Q tickets. He said it was not the ‘bloc’, but the PML-Q MPAs who needed to change their seats in the House.

Shafi said the real leader of the party in the House was Dr Tahir Ali Javed and not Leader of the Opposition in the PA Chaudhry Zaheerud Din. Opposition members Simal Kamran and Mohsin Leghari said the party dissidents were a group of blackmailers, and could not provide any benefit to anyone.

Shafi claimed the opposition benches were the unification group’s right.

PML-Ladies: Javed, the leader of the bloc, said the PML-Q was a party of women, and should change its name to PML-Ladies. Zaheer told the House the opposition was not being treated in line with democratic norms. He strongly criticised PML-Nawaz leader Khawaja Ahmed Hasaan, who was sitting in the Guests’ Gallery, and said Hasaan was the biggest ‘lota’ (turncoat).

Punjab Prisons Minister Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor said the leader of the opposition did not have the right to criticise a guest.

Saba Sadiq said it would have been better if the MPA criticising her had used her energy to think of the nation’s welfare. She said she was willing to sacrifice even 10 assembly seats for the PML-N leadership and the party’s policies.

Punjab Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rana Sanaullah said the day had been fixed for debate on the budget, and the people had their eyes on the House. He urged the members to return to the agenda.

Meanwhile, the opposition members walked out from the House. However, they returned after the chair (Deputy Speaker Rana Mashhood) sent two MPAs and two ministers to request them to come back to the session.
Daily Times:Sunday ,June 21.2009