LAHORE – Instead of ensuring presence of required number of legislators for the completion of agenda during the session convened on the Opposition’s request, PPP legislator Sajida Mir pointed out quorum, causing adjournment of proceedings until Tuesday (today) morning.
The Punjab Assembly was about to start debate on the situation caused by the doctors’ strike when Sajida Mir raised objection over taking up half a dozen adjournment motions of Sheikh Allaudin, saying giving too much time to a person who used objectionable language against female colleagues was unjustified.
She regretted the issues raised by female legislators were ignored and all adjournment motions of Allauddin were taken up. As Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal allowed Allaudin to continue reading text of the adjournment motion and asked Sajida Mir to sit down, the latter pointed out quorum in protest, causing adjournment of proceedings until Tuesday (today).
While regretting lack of interest on the part of legislators in general and attitude of Sajida Mir in particular, Iqbal said it was unfortunate that Opposition disturbed proceedings instead of fulfilling the responsibility of maintaining quorum.
As quorum was still incomplete after the ringing of bells for five minutes, the chair said the treasury had given assurance that satisfactory and precise replies would be given on the issue of doctors’ strike, but unfortunately the opposition showed least interest in the issue.
During the time allocated for adjournment motions, Allauddin took the floor for most of the time that irritated women legislators of the PPP and the PML-Q. In one adjournment motion, Allaudin raised the issue of import of hazardous clinical waste and its recycling, saying this could prove dangerous for public health. He urged the government to check how this dangerous material was cleared in violation of the instructions of the Sindh High Court. The chair asked Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah to take up the issue with the quarters concerned.
In another adjournment motion, he pointed out the theft of 27 files relating to government land worth billions of rupees. He urged the government to check how these files were misplaced from the office of the Punjab advocate general. Sanaullah requested the chair to defer the motion until the next session to give the advocate general enough time to personally probe into the incident.
In yet another motion, Allaudin pointed out poor performance of the University of Health Sciences and Post Graduate Medical Institute.
He said only 45 of the 353 doctors enrolled for Master of Surgery and Master of Medicine had passed during the past decade. He said these institutions were doling out admissions as a favour, resulting in shortage of specialised doctors.
As he was reading out text of another adjournment motion, an irritated Sajida Mir pointed out quorum, causing adjournment of proceeding until Tuesday (today) morning.