PA session starts today

LAHORE :Punjab Assembly session will start from Monday (today) on the requisition of the Opposition.

Requisition for this session was submitted by PML-N last week which is expected to lodge serious protest on the arrests of its leadership, including former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Opposition leader in PA Hamza Shahbaz Sharif as well as PML-N Quaid Mian Nawaz Sharif.

Three members of Punjab Assembly i.e. Opposition Leader Hamza Shehbaz Sharif, PML-N MPA Khawaja Salman Rafique and ruling party MPA Sibtain Khan are expected to attend the session on production orders.

Besides, another interesting aspect related to the session is that it is the first after the recent reshuffle in the Punjab cabinet made on the orders of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Muhammed Basharat Raja, from whom the Chief Minister has taken back the Ministry of Local Government still is a key figure on whom Buzdar government is relying to answer the queries related to eight departments. Currently, the Local Government Ministry falls under the chief minister but, like many previous sessions, he is not expected to turn up to the session. However, Raja Basharat, who is now the Minister for Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Social Welfare has been directed by the CM to respond to the queries related the departments, including S&GA Department, Home Department, LG and CD Department, Transport Department, Zakat and Ushr Department.

It is quite interesting to note that after the lobbying of some senior PTI leaders and a former minister, the portfolio of LG has been withdrawn from Raja Basharat but still the government lacks any other figure who could replace him in addressing the queries of these ministries.

Sources stated the decision of withdrawing Ministry of Local Government from Raja Basharat is also the result of a cold war continued between PTI and PML-Q, a major ally of the ruling party in Punjab and Centre.

Raja Basharat, though elected on PTI ticket from Rawaplindi, is still considered to be a confidant of PA Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi. Recently, Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar, who doesn’t enjoy very cordial relationship with Chaudhrys, has also been assigned the task of creating breaches in PML-N so that PTI could no more be blackmailed by PML-Q when it comes to number game.

All these episodes occurred in one month after the passage of budget in the National Assembly. PML-Q is still awaiting the fulfillment of promise of induction of MNA Chaudhry Moonis Elahi in the cabinet but PTI hasn’t honoured this commitment so far. Moreover, in Monday session, Fayazul Hassan Chohan will also been seen on the minister’s benches once again but this time as a minister for forests whereas Mian Aslam Iqbal, who has replaced Sumsam Bokhari, is now the Punjab information minister.

A noisy PA session is expected today in which Opposition will put its maximum weight to press government to avoid targeting its leadership but still, the PTI holds a powerful position in the House.