LAHORE: Punjab Assembly Speaker Parvez Elahi on Thursday persisted in holding a session of the house at the assembly chambers in parallel to the budget session being conducted at a nearby building, Aiwan-i-Iqbal, on the orders of the governor.

The proceedings started after a delay of three hours and Speaker Elahi suspended the Question Hour related to the irrigation department as the relevant minister [rather no minister] was available in the house to respond to the written queries and supplementary questions of the members.

The treasury members are boycotting the session being held at the assembly chambers convened, as per the speaker’s claim, on the requisition of the opposition PTI and PML-Q.

Governor Balighur Rehman prorogued the budget session being held at the assembly as the speaker did not allow for two days presentation of budget for the next financial year supporting the stance of the opposition parties that the provincial chief secretary and inspector-general of police must [first] apologise to them for torture of some MPAs during the May 25 long march.

The opposition had also demanded withdrawal of the cases registered against them for violence during the long march.

The governor convened a new budget session at the nearby Aiwan-i-Iqbal, where the Hamza Shehbaz government presented the budget on Wednesday.

However, Speaker Elahi held his ground and continued with the house proceedings in parallel to the budget session.

He put off the proceedings for 2pm on Monday (June 20) to discuss a resolution tabled by PTI MPA Waseem Khan Badozai against the hike in prices of petroleum products and seeking withdrawal of the increase.

Published in Dawn,June 17th, 2022