Opposition leader in Punjab PA urges PPP to join opposition benches
LAHORE: The Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Moinuddin Riaz Qureshi, extended an invitation to the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Thursday to join the opposition benches, questioning their alignment with the current government.
“Pakistan People’s Party should sit with us in the opposition. If Pakistan People’s Party is not part of this staged wrestling match, then join us,” Qureshi declared during a press conference outside the Punjab Assembly.
Qureshi announced that opposition members would resign from standing committees if directed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder. He launched a sharp critique of the current government, alleging that it came to power through electoral manipulation via “Form 47.”
“People’s rights are being usurped and a fake government has been formed through Form 47,” Qureshi stated, claiming that the ruling party secured victories for its Members of Provincial Assembly (MPAs) and Members of National Assembly (MNAs) through fraudulent means and “occupied our mandate.”
The opposition leader expressed frustration over what he described as systematic victimization, revealing that six opposition MPAs had been disqualified in what he termed “false cases,” while three others had been suspended for three months.
“We believe in democracy, which is why we continued to work with them, but they disqualified our six MPAs in false cases,” Qureshi said. “We have been pushed against the wall through continuous injustices.”
Qureshi highlighted several issues the opposition had raised, including the wheat scandal, sugar scandal, and flood relief measures, alleging the government had ignored their input entirely.
“We fully exposed the wheat scandal, raised our voice on the sugar scandal, and gave suggestions regarding floods, but the government did not listen to us at all,” he said.
The assembly session, which began approximately two hours behind schedule under Deputy Speaker Zaheer Iqbal Channar, saw the presentation of two amendment ordinances: the Punjab Enforcement and Regulations (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 and the Punjab Control of Narcotics Substances (Amendment) Ordinance 2025.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman presented the ordinances, which were subsequently referred to relevant standing committees for two months by Panel of Chairperson Bilal Yasin.
Opposition member Rana Shahbaz raised concerns about wheat procurement from farmers and criticized the government’s flood relief package, calling the announced compensation of 20,000 rupees per acre for flood-affected areas “extremely unfortunate.”
Drawing comparisons with India, Shahbaz noted that while both governments announced similar amounts, the purchasing power differs dramatically. “Indian 20,000 rupees equals Pakistani 65,000 rupees. If urea costs 600 rupees in India, the same urea is available in Pakistan for 4,500 rupees,” he explained.
Shahbaz further stated that Pakistan remains the only country where fertilizer is sold on the black market and that wheat intended for consumption is being confiscated from farmers’ homes. He questioned whether the government’s announcement to purchase wheat at 3,500 rupees through public-private partnership would be implemented. “The wheat sowing season has arrived; if the government doesn’t give us wheat, then we will cultivate the wheat meant for consumption,” he warned.
Government member Shoaib Siddiqui demanded a cleaning contract with the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) for 10 union councils in his PP-149 constituency, which includes Railway Colonies.
Siddiqui pointed out the irony that his constituency, from which Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was elected as a Member of National Assembly, suffers from severe sanitation problems. “There is filth, stench, and an abundance of dengue mosquitoes,” he said, appealing for immediate intervention.
In a dramatic turn, Deputy Speaker Zaheer Iqbal Channar took strict action regarding an extortion case filed against opposition member Farrukh Javed Moon by municipal corporation officials, threatening to halt Monday’s session if the case is not dismissed.
“The extortion case against Farrukh Javed Moon is intolerable. I know Farrukh Javed Moon personally; a member of this house cannot be an extortionist,” Channar stated firmly.
He issued an ultimatum: “I will not start Monday’s session until the case is dismissed. I will absolutely not tolerate such cases being filed against any member. There should be a discharge report on Monday.” Opposition member Moon, who presented an adjournment motion regarding the case, described the police behaviour as “extremely regrettable.”
Following the completion of the day’s agenda, Panel of Chairperson Bilal Yamin adjourned the Punjab Assembly session until Monday morning at 10 a.m.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025