LAHORE - Provincial Minister for Industry and Trade Sheikh Allauddin, during his speech in the Punjab Assembly on Monday, defended government’s decision to not import vegetables from India.

Speaking on a point of order, the minister picked up a thread from the last day proceedings on the hike in prices of vegetables and clarified his statement. He said his statement was misreported to impute eating of dogs and cats to people. He said he did not say that people were eating dogs and cats. He said he had cited the nations, which faced difficult times and ate everything, even cats and dogs, but did not sell their respect. He said these nations emerged as great ones at the end of the day. He said if tomato prices were up today people should keep their patience. He said that hike in tomato prices today was temporary and with the arrival of tomato crop from Sindh, prices of this item were gradually coming down.

The minister blamed the PTI government in KP for not checking rise in the prices of daily use items. His statement irked the Opposition, which stood in protest and said that why KP is criticised on every occasion when things there were far better than Punjab. This led the House to a noisy scene where both sides slighted each others’ government.

Sheikh Allauddin said the Opposition was in pain as the Punjab government had refused to import vegetables from India and it would not do this no matter how much pressure is put by a ‘mafia’ in this respect.

Mian Aslam said it was not the PTI but the Punjab government that was ill at ease for hugging Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said the PML-N had strong ties with Modi and it was repenting weakening of the same with India due to restrictions on vegetable imports from across the border. He said the Opposition had only pointed out defective policies of the government whereof prices of vegetables were soaring. Amid strong voices against the KP government by the Treasury, Mian Aslam said the Indian government was killing innocent people in Held Kashmir but here PML-N rulers were missing friendship with Modi. His statement exasperated the Treasury further that said harsher words against the PTI government. Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan continued to control the situation.

Leader of the Opposition Mian Mahmoodur Rashid said Sheikh Allauddin, as a member of the House, used to impartially criticise the government policies, but his mind changed due to glitter of power and the flag-bearing car after he took over as minister.

The minster rebuffed this argument and said he was not enjoying any official facility as minister and what he was saying was only in view of the national and public interest. When he spoke critically of the PTI government in KP, Opposition member Khurram Sheikh said in KP it was the Punjab like system where Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan was controlling police. When the House was restored to order, Dr Murad Raas of the PTI said on a point of order that TMO and police of his constituency were threatening him for installing a filtration plant in his constituency. He said the government would be responsible if a law and order situation arises in the constituency.

The House was about to take up call attention notices when an Opposition member pointed out the quorum, which was found incomplete even after proceedings were suspended for five members.

The House earlier took up questions on Zakat and Usher Department. It received answers from newly-appointed Minister Naghma Mushtaq who did not take more than one supplementary question on each main query.

Further proceedings of the 32nd session were put off till 10am on Tuesday (today)