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Thursday March 28, 2024

Govt under fire over ministers’ attitude

LAHOREThe absence of Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif’s cabinet from the Punjab Assembly proceedings once again led to the adjournment of the PA session on Wednesday without the completion of the agenda amid serious protest from the Opposition. Even the key figures from treasury benches expressed dismay at the absence

By Faizan Bangash
May 21, 2015
LAHORE
The absence of Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif’s cabinet from the Punjab Assembly proceedings once again led to the adjournment of the PA session on Wednesday without the completion of the agenda amid serious protest from the Opposition.
Even the key figures from treasury benches expressed dismay at the absence of ministers from the proceedings and asked the chair to direct every cabinet member to ensure presence during the session. Opposition led by Mian Mehmood-ul-Rasheed also staged a walkout in protest against the absence of Shahbaz’s cabinet from the House and after a gap of months, Go Nawaz Go slogans were once again heard in the PA.
The PA session started with a delay of nearly half and hour with Deputy Speaker Sher Ali Gorchani in the chair and held question-hour session related with agriculture. Minister concerned Dr Farrukh Javed responded to the queries of legislators. After the completion of question-hour session, Amir Sultan Cheema of the PML-Q on a point of order expressed concern over the way the PIC was treating the patients. He stated that he visited the hospital with a poor patient who needed immediate treatment, but the Medical Superintendent, who was a woman, asked him to contact the hospital admin after two years as it wasn’t possible to provide him the required medical aid before that. Amir stated that it was really a pity that the PIC asked the patient, needing immediate care, to visit there after two years and there was no guarantee that he could live up to that period. Deputy Speaker Sher Ali Gorchani defended the PIC administration while saying that due to bulk of patients, it was difficult for doctors to treat everyone on priority.
Soon after Amir Sultan Cheema had finished, it was Mian Aslam Iqbal who sought permission from the chair for expressing his views as the PIC fell in his constituency PP-148.
Mian Aslam Iqbal on the point of order stated that it was really a matter of concern that the government had given a deaf ear to the complaints and grievances of the people who experienced visiting the PIC. He stated that in the said institute, the government could assess the so-called level of good governance that a male and a female patient received treatment on the same bed. Besides, he said there was an acute scarcity of beds in the hospital and patients had to lie on the floor to get the treatment. “I will resign from my assembly membership if anything I am telling you on the floor of the House proves wrong”, said Aslam Iqbal.
Citing a recent incident, he said Khalid Ahmed Khan, one of his friends, a former councillor of the Municipal Corporation Lahore after suffering a heart attack, approached the PIC where doctors told him that he needed to have stunts in his heart. He said stunting of the patient was done and within a week, he suffered another heart attack. When he was shifted to the PIC, the doctors told his family that stunts given to him had ‘slipped’ which caused the infection.
Aslam Iqbal stated that this explanation by the doctors could well depict the prevailing situation of the PIC. “Is this the good governance? These people are busy in earning commission and have left the poor to die and this is nothing, but a government of jugglers”, said Mian Aslam Iqbal who also slammed Shahbaz Sharif’s government for befooling the nation over metro bus and other projects.
Khadija Umer Farooqi of the PML-Q MPA on the occasion also expressed the similar views and stated that there was a need to set up more cardiology centres and the government shouldn’t ignore Wazirabad Cardiology Institute.
The criticism by the Opposition members annoyed most of the PML-N MPAs who started passing remarks against the PTI and the House plunged into a disorder for quite some time.
After the situation became normal, Opposition leader Mian Mehmood-ul-Rasheed on a point of order expressed disappointment over the way the provincial ministers were treating the elected assembly. He drew the attention of the chair towards the absence of ministers from proceedings and stated not a single cabinet member was present on the occasion. When the treasury bench told him that ministers couldn’t turn up to the PA proceedings due to the cabinet meeting, the Opposition leader became further critical of the Punjab government and stated that at a time when assembly proceedings continued, it was really against the respect of this House to hold a cabinet meeting. He said the cabinet could have held meeting in the later hours and all the ministers should ensure their presence here and attend the session.
In a protest against the absence of Punjab ministers, the Opposition staged a walkout and when the PML-N MPAs passed comments, the PTI members chanted ‘Go Nawaz Go’ slogans which put the treasury benches on the back-foot. Some of the treasury members also responded with Go Imran Go slogans but by that time the entire Opposition had staged a walkout.
Deputy Speaker directed Zaeem Qadri, who is also the spokesperson of the Punjab government, to bring back the annoyed PTI legislators to the House.
Zaeem Qadri, the PML-N MPA on the occasion, also expressed concern over the absence of ministers from the House and requested the chair to direct them to remain present during the assembly proceedings. After the PTI members returned to attend the proceedings, the chair announced the adjournment of the session till Thursday due to the absence of ministers.
This is noteworthy that in the last sitting of the PA, Deputy Speaker Sher Ali Gorchani had also adjourned the session on the Private Members Day as Law Minister Mian Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman wasn’t present in the House at that time. The chair on that occasion had also ruled that no question-hour session would take place if the minister of the department concerned wasn’t present in the House.