MUBASHIR HASSAN
LAHORE - It was yet another bad day for Punjab’s Law Minister Rana Sana Ullah in the Punjab Assembly, which also witnessed exchange of hot words between the Treasury and the Opposition over the issue of Sasti Roati scheme. Rana was ‘caught in own net’, as the argument, he gave in an attempt to discredit the Opposition as well as a news item in Nawa-i-Waqt, in fact, undermined the PML-N’s stance on the memo scandal.
“There is no tradition in the Punjab Assembly to start debate on newspaper reports. If we set this tradition, then every parliamentarian would come in the House every day holding newspapers and seeking permission to have debate on the news item,” the Law Minister maintained, in response to a move by PPP MPA Shaukat Mehmood Basra, who wanted the House to hold debate on the alleged Rs3.64 billion loss caused to the exchequer by provincial finance department’s belated clearance of Rs24.16 billion subsidy on the Sasti Roti scheme.
Basra had based his point of order on a news item published in Tuesday’s issue of the daily Nawa-i-Waqt, supported by Auditor General’s report. As Rana had bowled a loose delivery, it provided an ample opportunity to Opposition Leader Raja Riaz to hit a six. “If your party can go to the Supreme Court on the basis of a foreign newspaper article regarding the memo, why could not the Assembly hold debate on a report published in a newspaper”, Raja argued, leaving the law minister speechless on this particular point. “He was caught in his own net,” quipped an Opposition member after the session.
“If the Treasury interrupted my speech, then there is no guaranty that the Chief Minister and the Law Minister would make a speech in the House free of interruption,” he warned, asking the Law Minister to control his lady legislators who, according to him, had “very long tongues” in their mouths. “We will pay back in the same coin,” he threatened.
Earlier, the lady legislators from the PML-N disrupted Shaukat Basra’s speech through repeated sloganeering when he levelled serious allegations against their leadership. Mr Basra alleged that PML-N threw favours on its workers through the Sasti Roti scheme. Agitated as he was for not being allowed to speak, Basra called Rana Sana Ullah a “suicide bomber”, determined to take ‘head’ of the democracy. He also said that chief minister Punjab considered this Assembly as rubber stamp, not worthy of attending.
“Hold your tongue and behave,” Basra was challenged by Rana Sana, who virtually lost his temper after listening to the offensive remarks about his leaders and himself.
It was Private Member’s Day on Tuesday, and the House adopted two resolutions of public interest - one stressed the government to take steps to check sale of adulterated petrol and the other asked it to expedite exploration work at iron reserves and other minerals found in Chaniot district.