LAHORE  -   The PML-N Monday continued protest outside Punjab Assembly against suspension of its six lawmakers amid announcement by Speaker Ch Pervez Elahi to form a special committee for probing the October 16th sad incident when the House witnessed a an unruly scene that resulted in action against the six MPAs.

A bizarre scene was witnessed all around with the six suspended MPAs sitting on the footpath outside the assembly. The other PML-N lawmakers occupying the entrance steps of the assembly building were raising slogans in protest. Some members of provincial assembly were standing in groups on lateral sides while the House proceedings were going on inside the Chamber. The PML-N members spent early hours in the committee room and later came to the stairs when Hamza Shehbaz reached the assembly at around 4:15pm and retired to his chamber after a brief stay.

Before debating the budget, the incident of budget day came under discussion after six PTI parliamentarians had presented a privilege motion suggesting action thereof while outside the chamber, Opposition was raising loud slogans and making speeches against chair’s action.

The motion presented by PTI lawmakers related to the ‘insulting’ remarks made against the speaker by Leader of the Opposition Hamza Shehbaz Sharif in his media interaction. The movers said the kind of derogatory language used by Hamza Shehbaz was an insult to the whole House. The PML-N had been raising the slogan of vote ko izzat do but it threw away respect to the vote which elected Elahi and made him speaker of the House, while vilifying him and undermining his office in public speeches, they added.

In response, Law Minister Raja Basharat told the House the PML-N rumpus and hullaballoo created in the House on that budget day caused damage worth Rs one million in the House. The law minister said they had videos and audios of what happened and who were responsible for creating a high pitched uproar in the House and if the PML-N had any doubts, the same could be shown to its members also. The minister said the PML-N members were protesting the arrest of former chief minister Shehbaz Sharif but the NAB cases against him had not been instituted by the PTI government rather these were framed during the PML-N government. Shehbaz was facing the music of his own misdeeds, the minister said terming the 10 years rule of Shehbaz the worst in the history of Punjab wherein public money was looted with both hands under the cloak of Khidmat (service) to the masses. He said officers closely associated with Shehbaz were themselves providing evidence becoming approver against him.

The minister prayed to the chair to form a special committee that will be provided with all the material relevant to that ‘ugly’ scene in the House. The minister warned they would not come under pressure and threats and resist the way of those who would disrespect the chair by any means.

Speaker Ch Pervez Elahi announced to form a special committee on the issue that will hold probe taking support of all relevant material and present privilege motion. The committee will complete the task within two weeks and make recommendations for further action. He said actually 12 members of the PML-N were identified in the centre of creating an utter unruly scene on that day but action had been taken against only six members. The speaker said the members of the committee will be named next day and they would perform the job justly, fairly and rising above their partisan approach. The chair did not mention whether the members will be bipartisan or only from the PTI.

The chair also took serious exception to the language used by leader of the opposition and said it showed lack of training on his (Hamza) part whom he knew since he was a school student. Elahi said what leader of the opposition was speaking and doing was certainly not part of the training he received from his parents but what he picked up from outside.

The speaker asked him to respect every member and the respect of the House was more important than his own respect and stern action will ensue against anyone who would bring disgrace to the House. He also took serious note of the opposition leader’s absence from the house committee meetings and said, “If next time he did not personally appear, appropriate course will be adopted against him.”

Later the House started debate on the budget wherein Rai Zahoor Ahmad, Sardar Shahabuddin and Ghazanfar Abbas made presentations. During the proceedings PML-N member Irfan Daultana pointed out quorum which was counted complete after the speaker suspended the proceedings for a few minutes. The session will resume at 11am on Tuesday (today).