LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan on Tuesday said the opposition was trying to create constitutional crisis by delaying the provincial budget which was tantamount to deprive people of their due rights. Talking to the media, he said that speaker Punjab Assembly was custodian of the house and it was his constitutional obligation to run the affairs of assembly as per rules. He said the Punjab government on Monday made utmost efforts to present the financial budget with consensus of the opposition but they (opposition) continued to disrupt the functioning of the house.
The government also accepted their demands in the larger interest of people of the province but they exploited the situation, he maintained. Rana Mashhood said that demands of the opposition to call chief secretary and inspector general of police in the house could not be fulfilled, adding that law would come into force against the violators. To a question, he said the opposition rather raising issues of the public interests like price-hike and other administrative measures, they were just interested in resolving their personal issues. The government would have welcome the suggestions of the opposition on public issues but unfortunately, the opposition was perusing personal agendas. To another query, Rana Mashhood said that it was unfair to send provincial minister Atta Tarar out of the Punjab Assembly as the article-139 allows a minister to avail all perks and privileges which also includes attending the assembly session. He said that speaker’s illegal order to oust the minister was also followed by the government in the interest of province. He asked the speaker Punjab assembly to fulfill its constitutional responsibility to proceed the house for budget session unconditional. He said the government would take every step to protect the right of people of the province.