CM Maryam slams opposition for causing ruckus in Punjab's budget session

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has come down hard on the opposition after the Punjab Assembly’s budget session was marred by protests of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) lawmakers.

CM Maryam was addressing the PA session discussing Budget FY25 under the chair of Speaker Malik Ahmed Khan on Friday.

The opposition lawmakers resorted to a ruckus during her address and chanted anti-PML-N slogans, but she continued to speak amid the noisy protest.

She said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government neither abused its authority against the opposition nor did it ever try to restrict facilities for its [jailed] political rivals.

The daughter of PML-N supremo blasted the former provincial government of the PTI, saying: “They were busy setting new records of incompetence and removing air conditioners from other people [when they were in prison cells].”

CM Maryam stated that the ruling PML-N President Nawaz Sharif had instructed the authorities that instead of one install two air conditioners in the prison cell of PTI founder Imran Khan— the former premier who is held at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail.

She said that PTI’s trolls used to ridicule her for her public-friendly actions. “They take checking the price of roti at a tandoor as an insult and used to mock me.”

“Punjab is the only province that has reduced the price of roti. Instead of shouting slogans here, they [PTI lawmakers] should reduce prices [of roti] in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” she said.

The CM mentioned that a tax-free budget was presented in Punjab for the first time, which should have pleased the opposition as well. The citizens of Punjab have sighed in relief after years, she added.

The chief minister detailed that her government restored basic facilities to the masses, which were halted by the previous administration, especially the provision of free medicines at government hospitals. Moreover, inflation was brought down to its lowest level in years, she added.

Due to the noisy protests by the opposition, the provincial assembly failed to approve the supplementary budget and adjourned the session till Saturday, 2pm.

Speaker Malik Ahmed Khan said that he tried to run the house in a better way and now he would use his “constitutional powers” to maintain order.

In response to the ruckus in the provincial assembly, 11 opposition lawmakers have been banned from attending 15 sessions of the Punjab Assembly.

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari, while talking to journalists after the budget session, said that they also sat on the opposition benches but did not misbehave like today's opposition.

She criticised the opposition for crossing the limits of misconduct and said that what happened during the chief minister’s address was regrettable.

Bukhari further stated that a tit-for-tat response would be given to the opposition and in the next session, the treasury would not listen to any opposition lawmaker's speech.