LA HORE: The Punjab Assembly approved on Monday 43 demands for grants worth Rs1.811 trillion for 2017-18 rejecting opposition`s cut motions.

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif made his rare appearance in the house apparently to ensure the presence of maximum treasury members during the session. He was greeted with `Go, Nawaz, go` slogans by the opposition while the treasury matched them with `sher, sher (tiger, tiger)`.

The opposition presented two cut motions on demands for grantsfor education and health but were rejected.

The demands for grants include Rs40.7 billion for education, Rs107.2 billion for health, Rs46.6 billion for general administration, Rs15.9 billion for justice system, Rs3.5 billion for forests, Rs3.7 billion for revenue land, Rs95.5 billion for police, Rs15 billion for agriculture, Rs11.5 billion for communications, Rs173 billion for pension, Rs454 billion for developments, Rs44.4 billion for irrigation constructions, Rs90.7 billion for construction of roads and bridges, Rs44.5 billion for official buildings and Rs18.3 billion for municipalinstitutions.

Deputy Speaker Sher AliGorchani who was in the chair adjourned the proceedings till Tuesday.

Law Minister Rana Sanaullah told reporters the joint investigation team probing the offshore holdings of the premier and his children should have given different options to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to record his statement.

`The JIT had given options like recording of the Qatari prince statement through video link or meeting him in his own country.

The JIT should also give similar options to the prime minister (to record his statement),` he said.

He reiterated that JIT`s workingwas controversial as it was pressuring the witnesses to get the statement of its choice. `The prime minister will not be af fected by the JIT report. Nawaz Sharif is a popular leader and in the past (court) decisions had come against him and ZA Bhutto but could not affect their popularity graph,` he said and added that the premier would appear before the JIT. `The prime minister has no issue in appearing before the JIT,` he said.

Opposition leader Mahmoodur Raheed said the PML-N was pressuring the JIT and the premier should resign before appearing before it for transparent investigation.