LAHORE: In a significant development, the Punjab Assembly has decided to emulate the National Assembly’s approach to presenting the question hour. Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmed Khan put forth the proposal before the house, which garnered unanimous approval from all members without any objections.

The suggestion was initially raised by opposition member Rana Aftab Ahmed Khan. Following this, Samiullah Khan announced the establishment of a committee to amend formal rules, which will be implemented meticulously.

The Speaker ruled that the committee would be formed after the adjournment of the session.

The session, chaired by Speaker Punjab Assembly Malik Muhammad Ahmed Khan, started here one hour and 57 minutes late.

During the session, opposition leader Ahmed Khan Bachhar voiced concerns about the unavailability of budget documents to the opposition. He emphasised the necessity of having access to these documents beforehand to prepare and make proposals effectively, questioning the transparency and communication between the government and the opposition on crucial financial matters.

A heated question-answer session ensued, during which the speaker took a firm stance against the absent Minister of Industries and Commerce, resulting in a brief adjournment.

Upon the arrival of the industries minister Chaudhry Shafay Hussain, the session resumed. Despite the minister’s unsatisfactory answers, he retorted to the opposition, asserting that the previous PTI government had achieved little.

He also stated that he had cancelled forty plots upon assuming office and declared that the government would revoke industrial plots from those failing to establish industries within two years. Additionally, he announced the prohibition of establishing industrial estates on agricultural land in the province.

Earlier in the session, opposition members protested against alleged rigging in the recent by-elections in the country.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024