LAHORE   -   Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan on Tuesday said that the opposition was trying to create constitutional crisis by delaying the provincial budget which was tantamount to depriving people of their due rights.

Talking to the media, he said that speaker Punjab Assembly was the custodian of the house and it was his constitutional obligation to run the affairs of assembly as per rules. He said that the Punjab government on Monday made utmost efforts to present the financial budget with consensus of the opposition but they (opposition) continued to disrupt the functioning of the house. The government also accepted their demands in the larger interest of people of the province but they exploited the situation, he maintained.

Mashhood added that the demands of the opposition to call chief secretary and inspector general of police in the house could not be fulfilled, adding that law would come into force against the violators.

To a question, he said the opposition should raise issues of the public interests like price-hike and other administrative measures but they were just interested in resolving their personal issues. The government would have welcomed the suggestions of the opposition on public issues but unfortunately, the opposition was perusing personal agendas, he added.  To another query, he said that it was unfair to send provincial minister Atta Tarar out of the Punjab Assembly as the article-139 allows a minister to avail all perks and privileges which also includes attending the assembly session. He asked the speaker Punjab assembly to fulfill its constitutional responsibility to proceed the house for budget session unconditional. He said the government would take every step to protect the right of people of the province.

PAST GOVERNMENT DID NOTHING FOR MASSES: MNA

Pakistan Muslim league Nawaz (PML-N) Member for National Assembly (NA-90) Chaudhry Hamid Hameed has said that the previous government did nothing for masses and created countless issues for the state.

Talking to media, he said that Pakistan was facing financial crises due to poor management and policies of PTI government, adding that they took unbearable loans from international banks but perform zero for the people. He said despite economic issues, the coalition government had presented a best possible, balanced and people-friendly budget.

He added that Prime Minister Main Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has not only increased the salaries of government employees by 15 percent in budget but also merged ad-hoc allowances in the basic pay. The MNA added that the incumbent government was working hard and soon will get control over major issues.