LAHORE - Gone are the days when provincial ministers would get a ‘bailout package’ from the Assembly Speaker.

In the new situation, however, they will have to come well-prepared in the House or be ready to face Speaker’s grilling.

If the Assembly proceedings of last two days are any indication, the Punjab Assembly has now got an impartial Speaker who is all set to run the House in an impartial manner.

One may interpret Ch Parvez Elahi’s new-found love for the Opposition in many different ways, but one thing is clear that he has now started grilling the Provincial Ministers but strictly on merit. The Speaker is in no mood now to bail them out when they don’t come up with satisfactory answers.

Looking back at the past performance of both former and present Ministers in the last 10 and half years, hardly a few would fully understand their job.

Had there not been a friendly Speaker in place to rescue them out of difficult situations, they would have been badly exposed before the people.

It was a Private Members Day on Tuesday but yet another day of embarrassment for the Ministers.

During the question hour on Food Department, Minister for Food Samiullah Chaudhry had to face humiliation on the Assembly floor when the Speaker asked him to inform the House on government’s policy on wheat export.

The Minister had earlier stated that the government had formulated a policy on wheat export.

However, when the Speaker asked to him to narrate that policy he tried to befool the House by stating that it was in the process of being drafted. “There is hell of difference between the draft and the actual policy. Infact, the government does not have any at a time when new harvesting season is going to start in three months”, Parvez Elahi observed.

He also admonished the Minister stating: “Get a proper briefing on the issue from your department”. The Speaker also remarked that Food Department would not have any space left to store the fresh wheat if it did not export its existing stores.

To a question asked by PPP’s Syed Hassan Murtaza, the Speaker questioned the statement by Food Minister about government’s policy about sugarcane cess.

He kept the question pending till the Minister had a comprehensive answer to the question. Later, the Chair endorsed a proposal by Law Minister Raja Basharat that House should hold debate on issues faced by the agriculturists.

Punjab Assembly on Monday last had also witnessed the Speaker scolding the Ministers during the question hour and later during the legislation process.

He had even forced the Law Minister to put on hold a Bill on the rights of domestic workers to seek input from the Opposition. 

Questions relating to the Department of Religious Affairs were also on the agenda of Assembly business on Tuesday.

The concerned Minister skipped the sitting apparently to avoid a scathing criticism from the Speaker thinking he would dispose the questions in his absence. But the Chair insisted that these questions would be taken up on some other day in the presence of the Minister.

However, he later allowed Prosecution Minister Ch Zaheeruddin to answer the questions on behalf of the concerned Minister.

But it was after pleading from DG Parliamentary Affairs,Inayatullah Lak who persuaded the Chair to take up the questions. In the second part of the Assembly proceedings, it was Deputy Speaker’s turn to put the Treasury in an awkward situation.

Sardar Dost Muhammad Mazari clearly sided with the Opposition when he supported an adjournment motion moved by Mian Naseer Ahmad of the PML-N.

Reviving an issue already discussed in the House last week, Mian Naseer demanded disciplinary action against MS of Benazir Bhutto Hospital for allegedly harassing a lady doctor and recording a call he had received from the Law Minister.

“The MS should be suspended forthwith for his involvement in cyber crime”, Deputy Speaker remarked.

He also referred the motion to House Committee for report within two months.

Energy Minister Dr Akhtar Malik also condemned the attitude of MS stating he should have been suspended on the day he refused to oblige a Minister.

Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid stuck to her earlier stance on the issue and defended the MS.

She, however, agreed to set up Harassment Committees in hospitals on a suggestion from Azma Bukhari of the PML-N. Azma had proposed formation of these Committees to save the women employees at hospitals from male harassment.