Punjab Assembly witnesses rumpus

Pakistan People's Party impeded the Punjab Assembly's proceeding on Monday, saying it will not allow the House to function till the Speaker commits to forward names for National Assembly's parliamentary commission on new provinces.
The 40th session of Punjab Assembly was requisitioned by the treasury benches to take up several bills and on the very first day the opposition benches prevented the House to take up government business. The PPP legislators entered the House with the intention of creating rumpus and not allowing the treasury benches to take up the agenda of the day. Their only demand was nomination of two names from the Punjab Assembly for the parliamentary commission.
On a point of order, opposition leader Raja Riaz (of PPP) said through a letter National Assembly Speaker Dr Fahmida Mirza requested the Punjab Assembly for nomination of two parliamentarians for the Commission, but Speaker Rana Iqbal did not respond to the request. He urged the Speaker to forward the names without further delay. He alleged that the PML-N is showing double standards on the issue of new provinces; it was the same party that tabled a resolution for creation of new province in Punjab and now it has backed out. "South Punjab will never forgive them and no one will stop creation of the new province," he added.
He also urged the parliamentarians elected from the southern Punjab to support Dost Muhammad Khosa's pursuit making south Punjab as a new province. The opposition leader used inflammatory words in his remarks and created commotion in the House. He called the PPP opponents (namely the PML-N) as 'political miscreants'. He said by attending the Supreme Court's hearing, Prime Minister Raja Ashraf has proven 'political miscreants' wrong.
In response, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said former Prime Minster Yousuf Raza Gilani had claimed that the Prime Minister would not attend the hearing and hence he was a political miscreant. These very exchanges of words led to rumpus in the House; both side of the benches shouted slogans against each other's leaders. On one occasion, the Speaker expunged certain inflammatory words used by the PML-N legislators against President Asif Ali Zardari.
On several occasions, the Speaker tried to bring an order in the House without any success; the opposition benches were in no mood to listen to him. Shaukat Basra of PPP maintained that they will not allow the House to run unless the Speaker commits to nominate the names for the commission. After a prolonged protest in the House, the opposition benches pointed out quorum, failing to meet the required number, the Speaker adjourned the House till Tuesday morning.