LAHORE - Opposition parties in the Punjab Assembly on Tuesday created rumpus in the house as the new government presented provincial budget for the remaining eight months of the current FY 2018-19.

The opposition lawmakers, led by PML-N members, were raising loud slogans against government. Surrounding podium of Speaker Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, they continued disrupting the budget speech through sloganeering, desk thumping and booing. They stood so close to the secretary assembly that he hardly managed to protect himself. The opposition members captured his table for beating with hand and papers while some of them also mounted on it. They tore apart copies of the budget and wildly chanted ‘Go Imran Go,’ ‘Donkey Raja Na Manzoor,’ ‘Daku Daku’ and ‘Sharam Karo, Haya Karo, Shebaz Sharif Ko Reha Karo.’ Uzma Bokhari of the opposition carried a clarion which she loudly played to make the sloganeering even more terrible. The treasury also responded to the opposition by highlighting the issue of corruption. They raised the slogans ‘Chor Machaye Shor’ but they could not beat the opponents in creating the scene.

The opposition rejected the Punjab budget terming the same ‘killer’ and forerunner of huge financial problems to the masses.

The hullaballoo in the assembly clearly showed the resentment and fury of the opposition against the same day custody of the PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif to NAB on another 14 days remand in Ashiana Housing Scheme and the Saaf Pani Project.

Led by Opposition Leader Hamza Shehbaz Sahrif, the PML-N also put up a big protest show outside the house. Nawaz-League MPAs not only condemned the government for presenting a ‘harsh budget’ but also spoke more loudly against it and accused it of standing behind the NAB in victimisation of PML-N leadership. The PML-N anger had generated after its requisition moved on October 7 for calling immediate session of the assembly to debate arrest of Shehbaz Sharif was not accepted by the speaker. Another countable factor was the event of October 11, when the N-League MPAs wanted to hold a private session of the PA at the stairs of the premises but the doors of the assembly were shut on them whereof they were obliged to hold the protest session on the road outside the main gate.

Last day the opposition members entered the house wearing black bands on their arms but prior to that, it boycotted the advisory committee meeting.

At the start of proceedings, Hamza Shehbaz and other members of the opposition wanted to speak on a point of order but the chair did not allow them on the plea the session was exclusive for presentation of the budget. The house was overtaken over loud noises that later on turned into sloganeering when the opposition insisted on speech and the chair turned down their demand. Coinciding with the budget speech by finance minister, the opposition also increased its protest which culminated at a stage in physical action between Khan Sher Akbar Khan of the PTI and Taufeeq Butt of the PML-N. Both could come to blow had not members on both sides stopped their way ahead. An unpleasant scene was also seen wherein the opposition members became physical with the security staff.

Soon after the budget speech, the speaker adjourned the session following which the opposition members chanted anti-Imran slogans before dispersing.