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Wednesday July 16, 2025

PA Speaker’s ‘comedy of errors’

June 22, 2011
LAHORE
CONTINUING with his ‘comedy of errors’ as on Monday, Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana Iqbal, in a fit of absentmindedness, gave a decision in favour of the Opposition on a cut motion for blocking the budget of the Police department which was later rectified.
The drama took place before the chief minister who was present in the House. Though Rana Iqbal used to make mistakes but the presence of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in the House made him more confused. The Opposition had proposed a cut motion against the allocated amount of Rs52.167 billion proposed in the annual budget 2011. After the opposition lengthy speeches on blocking the amount to police as it had failed to maintain law and order, Law Minister Rana Sana defended the Police performance through presenting facts and figures.
Following a debate on the cut motion from both sides, the Speaker concluded it with conducting voting. The Treasury members who were in majority raised ‘No’ with full throats while the Opposition said yes. Immediately after it, the Speaker announced the decision in favour of those who said ‘Yes’. The announcement of Speaker caused uproar and the Opposition members started thumping desks.
Realizing that he had made wrong announcement, the Speaker rectified his statement and claimed that the decision was in fact in favour of those who had voted as ‘No’. The decision caused uproar in the Opposition members who argued that the Speaker should stick with his earlier decision.
Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, in his speech, said dacoits in police uniform and retired police officers were posted in the field by the former rulers which was not only a clear violation of law but was also resulting in increase in crime rate. He said that in an era when the Bank of Punjab was robbed of Rs.75 billion and a sum of Rs.6 billion was looted from the NICL a dramatic increase in the incidents of dacoity, theft and other crimes was but natural.
However, he said, the

present government had given field posting to honest officials and he could say that only competent officers had been appointed as police chiefs since the present leadership came into power. Shahbaz said that nothing could be more important than maintenance of law and order and in view of this fact, all-out resources were being utilized for the purpose. He said that there was no truth in the allegations that the removed had again been posted in the field. He said he fully agreed with the proposals of the House regarding improving efficiency of police and removing all shortcomings in this regard. He assured the House that maintenance of law and order and protection of life and property of people were the top priority of the Punjab government and no effort would be spared in this regard.
Immediately after the CM delivered his speech on police performance, the Speaker announced break for Zuhr prayers. Many of the opposition members were not pleased with the decision of the Speaker as they had alleged that the Speaker had not announced break for Zuhr prayers throughout the session but on Monday, he had done so just to save the CM from Opposition’s response to his speech.
When the break was announced, most of the PML-Q parliamentarians were shouting at the CM and wanted to explain their point of view. They alleged the Speaker of partiality.