Opp walks out after petrol price reduction resolution foiled

LAHORE

Opposition in the Punjab Assembly staged a walkout on Tuesday after government defeated a resolution tabled by the Opposition members demanding petrol price be brought down to Rs 40 per litre from the existing Rs 72 per litre in order to benefit the masses from the historic low oil prices in the world market over the last 20 years.

Leader of Opposition Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed, while tabling the resolution on behalf of other members on the Private Members Day, requested the speaker to take it out of turn in view of its vital importance for the lives of the masses. The resolution condemned the government for not providing due relief to the poor already burdened under heavy taxes and levies on essential necessities and utilities. It condemned the rulers for making huge profits on petrol at the expense of masses’ miseries since every need of the life was selling at a high rate due to costly fuel.

But Law Minister Rana Sanaullah opposed the resolution on the plea that it was a mere point-scoring since the government had already reduced the petrol prices. He sought the permission to table an amended resolution by the treasury on the issue which the chair allowed. The amended resolution by the government praised the federal government for reducing five rupees per litre on petrol. The resolution noted that the present government had reduced petrol prices by Rs 30 per litre during its tenure which was a proof of its masses friendly policies.  It condemned the opposition for mere a point-scoring on the issue.

After the treasury resolution was passed by its sheer majority, Opposition members led by Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed staged a walkout to protest against what they called masses' enmity by the government. A resolution by treasury member Hina Pervaiz Butt, calling for appointing female officials at Nadra offices for taking photographs of women, was opposed by several female members from treasury benches led by Azma Zahid Bukhari, Rahila Khadim Hussain and others. The opponent members said the idea behind such a resolution reflected an anti-progressive thought which would hamper the woman's liberty and equality. Azma Zahid Bukhari said women in the country were already lagging behind the male counterparts due to such backward thinking.

Another resolution by Sheikh Alauddin calling for awarding Nishan-e-Pakistan award for leaders of Jamaat Islami Bangladesh Abdul Qader Mollah and Qamaruz Zaman Chaudhri, who were hanged recently by the pro-India government of Hasina Wajed on the charges of protecting the unity of Pakistan by resisting the separation of East Pakistan, was kept pending by the chair. Law Minister Rana Sanaullah told the House that the issue concerned the federal government and Punjab government had already written a letter to the federation in this regard and awaiting the response.

He also said that Dacca government was being condemned all over the world for its display of much delayed animosity against the patriotic Pakistanis.

Another resolution by Jamaat Islami’s Dr Waseem Akhtar calling for exempting mosques from Rs 35 mandatory TV licence fee charged through electricity bills was rejected after the law minister opposed it on the plea that residences of prayer leaders were also situated beside the mosques where TV was used. He said if mosques were exempted then educational institutions and other welfare organisations would also make such demand causing revenue loss to the government of millions of rupees.