Punjab minister says health, education top priority

LAHORE: The concluding session of the Punjab Assembly commenced after a delay of one hour and 40 minutes on Wednesday, with Deputy Speaker Zaheer Iqbal Channar presiding over the meeting.

During the session, the opposition in the Punjab Assembly demanded the release of the PTI founder. Opposition members displayed banners featuring the PTI founder within the house, chanting their demands for his release. Opposition leader Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar questioned why Mian Aslam Iqbal was being prevented from entering the house.

He expressed dissatisfaction over the presence of police outside and insisted that both Mian Aslam Iqbal and Ahmad Rashid Bhatti should be allowed into the assembly.

He said that the opposition would not compromise on this matter. The deputy speaker assured that Mian Aslam Iqbal was free to enter the house at any time, suggesting that he should consult the speaker of the house. Bhachar also advocated for a medical checkup of former chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi. Sunni Ittehad Council MPA Khayal Ahmed Kastro, while expressing his views in the assembly, said that he was treated unfairly before the elections.

A woman MPA from the Treasury benches highlighted issues from the previous day that needed to be addressed. Finance Minister Mujtabi Shujaur Rehman expressed gratitude to all the members who participated in the budget debate.

He emphasised that the government’s primary focus is on health and education. Rehman criticised the PTI government’s ascent to power in 2018, alleging electoral malpractice.

He said corruption had increased during the PTI tenure. He said the PMLN government, in its last tenure in 2017–18, had allocated a development budget of Rs635 billion that was reduced to Rs235 billion in 2018 by the PTI government. It increased to Rs350 billion in the following year and Rs337 billion in the third year.

The minister said now the PMLN government had announced a development budget of Rs655 billion, adding the provision of free medicine from the non-developmental side. He also accused Ch Pervaiz Elahi and Punjab Assembly’s former secretary, Muhammad Khan Bhatti, of massive corruption, alleging they took bribes to set up universities in two-room buildings.

Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman highlighted the need for teacher recruitment and health department staffing. He said the government had allocated Rs39 crore for an air ambulance.

He also announced plans for Dansih schools and emphasised the PMLN’s commitment to turning impossibilities into possibilities. Rehman touted the budget’s opportunities for youth and highlighted the Ramazan care package, which is set to benefit 5.6 million households.

He underscored the government’s commitment to South Punjab, mentioning a programme worth three and a half billion rupees included in the Annual Development Plan (ADP).