HASSAN ABBAS

LAHORE: The Opposition in Punjab Assembly on Tuesday boycotted the budget session after acting speaker Sardar Sher Ali Gorchani failed to stop the hue and cry raised by the women parliamentarians of treasury benches.

While addressing the budget session, JUI (F) MPA Masroor Nawaz Jhangvi strongly criticized the government for not allocating funds for establishing a university in Jhang. He said if problems of the people were not solved in the parliament there was no need of the assembly. The government had not included even a single recommendation which he had suggested for the budget, he said.

Earlier, session of the assembly started 1:00 hour 30 minutes late than the scheduled time. Soon after opening of the session, Pakistan Tehreek-Insaf MPA Mian Aslam Iqbal pointed out the quorum and proceedings of the session was stopped for more than an hour.

PML (N) MPA Malik Javed Iqbal Awan said that the finance minister had not included a single scheme of his area in the budget. The budgetary allocation shows that development of urban areas is priority of the government, said PML (N) MPA MaliK Mazhar Abbas Ran. He said the government was establishing solid waste management companies in urban areas while it was paying attention at all towards solving the sanitation problems of rural areas.

Addressing the House, Rana Muhammad Arshad termed the budget people-friendly and balanced. He said an amount of 345 billion rupees has been earmarked for the promotion of education which is 30 percent more than the previous financial year.

He said the establishment of Danish schools in the backward areas has provided an opportunity to the poor children for getting quality education. He said the prices of urea and chemical fertilizer have been decreased.

Meanwhile, talking to media outside the Punjab Assembly leader of the opposition Mian Mahmood-ur-Rashid demanded that assemblies should be dissolved. He demanded that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif should resign as he had lost all his moral authority of remaining in the office. Nawaz should nominate any one from his party as prime minister, he suggested.