HASSAN ABBAS

LAHORE: The Pakistan Muslim League (N) demanded on Thursday that the government should constitute a parliamentary committee to probe the reasons of increase in prices of sugar and dollar.

PML (N) MPA Sheikh Allauddin put forth this demand during a general discussion on the supplementary budget for the year 2018-19 in the Punjab Assembly.

“I will reveal before the committee about real beneficiaries taking benefit of increasing prices of sugar and dollar,” he said. Food Minister Sami Ullah Chaudhry said that credit of fixing the price of sugarcane at Rs 180per maund goes to the PTI government and the millers bought it on the rate of Rs240 per maund. He alleged that the previous government had done nothing for the benefit of farmers. He also alleged that previous governments exploited farmers on the issuance of gunny bags. He said the PTI government had issued gunny bags on merit. The writ of government had established and sugar millers had given full payments to the farmers.

While expressing his views on supplementary budget, PML (N) MPA Malik Ahmed Khan said that demand of the approval of expenses of more than Rs90 billion from the government, which claimed that they will make Pakistan a State of Madina, seems quite illogical.

Minister School Education Dr Muraad Raas while responding to Malik Ahmed Khan said that out of Rs 90billion, Rs56 billion were spent on retiring the debt taken during the PML (N) government.

During the session Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari doesn’t allow the PML (N) MPA Sheikh Allauddin to speak on the point of order. Upon which the opposition started agitation and alleged that speaker is partisan. Mazari said that opposition should not try to dictate him.

Law Minister Raja Basharat said that said that no member should be allowed to speak on point of order during the discussion on Supplementary Budget. The opposition members should speak on their turn.

Earlier, Speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Pervez Elahi directed the Law Minister to look in to the matter of non-availability of water and governments crack down on taking out water through lift pumps in Rajan Pur.