Govt, Opp on same page over wheat policy

LAHORE:A rare show of unity was witnessed between the government and the opposition benches in the Punjab Assembly during a general debate on the wheat procurement policy on Thursday, as both sides criticised the government's lack of seriousness on the issue.

The session, however, ended in chaos due to protests over arrests and lack of quorum. Despite a scheduled discussion on the critical wheat procurement issue, no minister was present in the House to respond, with only a parliamentary secretary in attendance. This led to strong reactions from lawmakers. PMLN’s former Mines Minister Sher Ali Khan remarked, “Sending a parliamentary secretary instead of a minister shows how little the government cares,” adding that farmers were misled into sowing wheat and are now being abandoned.

Government ally Ali Haider Gilani questioned the fate of the wheat crop spread over 15 million acres, saying, “If the government does not intend to announce a support price, it should at least tell us what its future plan is.”

Opposition Chief Whip Rana Shahbaz sarcastically said discussing wheat policy in the Assembly is like “playing a flute in front of a buffalo,” suggesting government indifference. Former Speaker Rana Iqbal demanded the term "buffalo" be struck from the record, calling it unparliamentary.

The debate occurred during the 24th session of the Punjab Assembly, chaired by Chairperson Samiullah Khan, which began with a 47-minute delay. He expressed displeasure over inadequate responses from Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture Usama Leghari, especially regarding the Ayub Research Centre’s land and issues surrounding the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad. These matters were referred to a committee, with a report expected in two months.

Earlier, during the Question Hour, Samiullah Khan also ordered a committee review into private universities due to lack of satisfactory responses. Meanwhile, the opposition protested the arrest of Leader of the Opposition Ahmad Khan Bhachar and other leaders from Adiala Jail, walking out of the Assembly after heated exchanges between government MPA Uzma Kardar and opposition members.

Following the walkout, opposition MPA Sheikh Imtiaz pointed out the lack of quorum. Despite five minutes of bell-ringing ordered by Chairperson Agha Ali Haider, the quorum remained incomplete, leading to the adjournment of the session until 2pm on April 18 (today).