Punjab budget: PA speaker says PML-N does not enjoy majority

LAHORE: Speaker Punjab Assembly Parvez Elahi on Sunday said that the PML-N does not enjoy a majority in the assembly to pass the budget to be presented on Monday (tomorrow), ARY NEWS reported.

In a statement issued today, the Punjab Assembly’s speaker said that a lot will depend on PML-N to ensure that the budget session is held or not.

“There is a big question mark on if there will be hooliganism in tomorrow’s session or not,” he said and blamed that it was the police who are running the affairs in the province, not Chief Minister Punjab Hamza Shahbaz.

He asked how the PML-N could present a budget when it does not enjoy a majority in the House.

Speaking over differences within the PML-Q, Parvez Elahi said that they have no differences with the party chief Chaudhry Shujaat. “PML-Q remains intact and all is well in the party,” he said.

On the opposition leader’s slot in the House, he said that the decision would be made in today’s parliamentary meeting and there could be two opposition leaders.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan will decide on the name of the opposition leader in Punjab Assembly today ahead of the budget session on June 13.

Former Punjab law minister Raja Basharat confirmed that Imran Khan will decide the name of the opposition leader. “The name will be finalized in today’s meeting of the parliamentary party,” he said.

The Punjab government has summoned a meeting of the provincial assembly on June 13 for the presentation of the budget, however, it seems difficult in the presence of the Speaker Parvez Elahi that it would sail through easily from the assembly amid no obvious majority for both sides of the aisle after de-seating of 25 PTI lawmakers by the ECP.