LAHORE - The Punjab Assembly yesterday plunged again into pandemonium, at the cost of debate on a highly vital subject of agriculture, after the law minister rejected the opposition demand for taking up a reference against Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif allegedly for allowing relocation of two sugar mills of his family, violating the ban earlier put on this exercise.

The PTI-led opposition had filed the reference in the assembly office before start of the 26th session on January 24. Proceedings of the session held with Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan in the chair were badly hit by the rumpus and noisy scenes emerged after both sides of the house traded allegations against the leadership of each other and chanted slogans. Leader of Opposition Mian Mahmudur Rashid, Arif Abbasi and Mian Aslam Iqbal on the front, the opposition members tore copies of the agenda while standing close to the speaker podium.

The opposition was already ill at ease over the absence of the law minster when call-attention notices and adjournment motions pending mainly over the years against the government were taken up. Mian Mahmudur Rashid demanded the chair take up out of turn a motion against the alleged corruption in the construction of Rs 250 billion Lahore Orange Line train. He alleged the train that would run on the 11-meter-deep pile on the base as against the approved 16-meter would b e a great threat to the lives of the citizens. He alleged embezzlement of billions of rupees had been done through shortening the pile. The chair, then held by Deputy Speaker Sardar Sher Ali Gorchani, slighted the call, saying this matter would also be seen in due course of time. These remarks impelled the opposition to sloganeering. Mian Mahmudur Rashid said the CM relocated two sugar mills of the Sharifs bypassing the ban on this exercise under a judicial order. But the deputy speaker did not permit debate on the reference.

Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said the reference against the CM had been motivated from the dictates of the ATM machine (a reference to PTI leader Jahangir Tarin who also owns sugar mills) of Imran Khan. He said the reference is tainted with ill will, so at the most it could be taken up in the chamber and not in the house under the rules. On this the opposition members all stood up. Most of them moved close to the speaker rostrum and chanted slogans “Go Nawaz go, Daku daku, Qatari ka jo yaar hey, ghaddar hey, ghaddar hey, gali gali mein shoar hey…, etc. From the treasury, lady MPAs retaliated with equal force through the slogans of Ro Imran ro, Choar machaye shoar, … etc. A chorus of sloganeering on both sides gripped the proceedings while opposition members tore copies of the agenda.

The law minister said the house was due to take up an important item on the agenda, a general debate on agriculture, but the opposition was derailing the house to protest and sloganeering which had been main feature of the PTI politics since elections. The masses had rejected the PTI politics and the election 2018 would prove a final nail in the political coffin of this party, he added in the background of loud slogans.

The opposition walked out of the house while pointing out quorum. As the session resumed after suspension of five minutes, the opposition reentered the house in the same hostile mood against the government while the law minister opened debate on agriculture. He said through Rs 100 billion package, farmers were being supplied urea, DAP and pesticides at much lower market price besides giving interest-free loans without to them.

He said the prices of agri-related items would come down further in the time to come. The opposition again pointed out quorum on which the chair put off further proceedings to next day in the morning.

Earlier, responding to queries relating to Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department, Minister Khawaja Imran Nazir said the government was going to set up a cabinet committee on health to address healthcare issues. He said not that but Drug Act was also being amended to ensure quality medicines to the people and strictly punish those involved in manufacturing spurious medicines and the officials approving them. The minister said a total revamping of the healthcare system was on the cards and process would surely be completed till end of May. 

The minister regretted delay of four years in framing rules to implement Breast Feeding Act (the Punjab Feeding and Child Nutrition Act 2012) and assured they will be notified next week and inquiry will be held to identify the responsible officials for the delay. He said a comprehensive programme was also being launched to promote breastfeeding.

To a question on the vacancies in the THQs and BHUs, the minister said doctors were reluctant to serve in far-flung areas despite incentives. However he said, a policy was being framed to solve the problem. He also stated there were 27 nephrologists for the entire population of the province, adding this number was pathetically low. He said special training was being imparted to paramedics in this regard.