LAHORE - Uproar on the issue of promotion of arrested bureaucrat Ahad Khan Cheema led to adjournment of Punjab Assembly session on Friday without taking up a single item on agenda.

Before the start of proceedings during Question Hour, opposition legislator Dr Nausheen Hasmid drew attention of the chair towards promotion of Ahad Khan Cheema, saying favor to an arrested officer was illegal.

Amid sloganeering from both sides of the political divide, PPP’s Faiza Malik pointed quorum that led to adjournment of session for five minutes and later till Monday at 2pm.

The session started 50 minutes beyond the scheduled time with Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal in the chair.

As the chair was about to start proceedings during Question Hour on Aukaf, Labour and Human Rights department, Dr Nausheen Hamid stood up on point of order and drew the attention of the chair towards promotion of Ahad Khan Cheema after his arrest by National Accountability Bureau. She said that promotion of arrested officer was regrettable and illegal act.

She said that the NAB should also arrest the Chief Minister on illegal promotion of Cheema. Remarks of opposition legislator caused uproar in the House. The House echoed with the slogans of “Arrest Shahbaz Sharif and Ro Imran Ro’.

Rana Muhammad Iqbal said that the province has nothing to do with promotion of a DMG officer. He said that the federal government has promoted Cheema and this issue should not be politicized.

Treasury legislator Rana Arshad said that there was set procedure for promotion of officers. He said that the federal government has adopted due procedure while promoting Cheema. Pointing towards the opposition, he said that these people were enemies of development in Pakistan and the province.

He went on to say that their (opposition) sole agenda was to please the anti state elements.

Amid slogans from the opposition and retaliatory slogans from the treasury, PPP’s Faiza Malik pointed quorum. As the quorum remained incomplete even after ringing bells first for five minutes and later for 30 minutes, the chair adjourned the session till Monday at 2pm.

Led by Mian Aslam Iqbal, Sardar Shahab-ud-Din and Faiza Malik, the opposition legislators staged a protest at stairs of the PA. The protesting legislators chanted slogans against the Chief Minister. They said that Ahad Cheema was front man of Shahbaz Sharif. They demanded immediate arrest of Shahbaz Sharif to fulfill criterion of justice.