LAHORE: The proceedings of the Punjab Assembly session, which began after around a three-hour delay from its scheduled time, could last only for 25 minutes as the speaker, irked by the absence of the agriculture secretaryduringtheQuestion Hour, adjourned the house until Friday morning.

The proceedings began at 2:30pm instead of its announced time of 11:30am.

As the House took up Question Hour about the agriculture department soon after the recitation of Quran and Na`at, the absence of the department secretary was noticed by Speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi.

Agriculture Minister Syed Hussain Jehanian Gardezi said that the officer was abroad. But the information annoyed the chair, which postponed the questions till the arrival of the secretary. Mr Elahi also observed that the minister was ill-prepared for the queries of the lawmakers.

Law Minister Raja Basharat presented the Illegal Housing Schemes Commission (IInd Amendment) Ordinance, 2021, which was referred to the relevant committee for vetting and presenting a report on it within 60 days.

L ater, the chair adjourned the proceedings for Friday morning.

Outside the house, the speaker told the media that PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujat was recovering in the hospital.

He did not respond when asked why Prime Minister Imran Khan and Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar had not phoned yet to inquire about the health of the chief of the ally party of the ruling PTL PROTEST: PML-N MPA Mirza Javed distributed bottles of petrol outside the assembly building on The Mall in protest against higher petrol prices.

A large number of motorcyclists gathered to get the bottles as he urged the government to reduce the prices otherwise people would carry petrol instead of sweets as a gift while visiting their relatives.