Opp rejects JIT, demands judicial commission on Sahiwal incident

LAHORE: Opposition in Punjab Assembly categorically rejected the Joint Investigation Team formed by the government to probe Sahiwal incident and demanded setting up of a judicial commission to investigate facts behind the untoward occurrence.

The Punjab Assembly session held on Monday with Deputy Speaker Mir Dost Mohammed Mazari in chair held a nearly three hour debate on the recent incident of Sahiwal in which the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel opened fire at a car while hunting a terrorist. A couple, their daughter and the driver named Zeeshan, an alleged terrorist, were killed whereas three children of citizen Khalil were injured.

The incident invited serious criticism on the government of Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar in and outside Punjab Assembly. While speaking on the floor of PA, Opposition leader Hamza Shahbaz Sharif said that entire nation was disturbed by the tragic incident and the responsible should be hanged publicly. He said JITs had been formed in past as well and the nation had also witnessed the ‘ running commentary’ on these Joint Investigation Teams. Hamza stated that he totally endorsed the view point of PPP Parliamentary leader Syed Hassan Murtaza and demanded Punjab government to form a judicial commission to probe the incident. He added that elimination of parents before their children was very agonising thing and it was mandatory on the government to set an example.

He said it wasn’t fair to do politics over this issue but the nation wanted to know the facts behind this incident. Hamza went on to say that stance of the government was changed repeatedly over the tragedy since the day of its occurrence and it was necessary to fix the responsibility on those who were behind this act, without which, justice couldn’t be ensured to the bereaved relatives. Hamza Shahbaz Sharif further said Counter Terrorism Department was formed to curb terrorism and targeting the innocent people by its personnel was highly condemnable and a cold blooded murder.

The Opposition leader in PA also stated that the Punjab government should take it as a test case and set an example while executing the culprits at the same place where innocent people were gunned down in SahiwalSyed Hassan Murtaz, the PPP Parliamentary leader, who spoke before Hamza Shahbaz first raised the demand of setting up of a Judicial Commission over Sahiwal incident. The PPP leader went on to say that rather than presenting the bouquet to the aggrieved children, the Prime Minister and Chief Minister should have resigned after this incident and rejoin the office after getting clean chit from the court. He said Imran Khan, the sitting Prime Minister used to raise the same demand from the container while he was in Opposition. Mian Aslam Iqbal, the Provincial Minister, while participating in the debate slammed the PML-N leadership for forgetting the tragic incident of Model Town in 2014 in which 14 people were gunned down by the Punjab Police. Mian Aslam stated at t hat time, he was part of the Opposition benches and while referring to the date of the incident, he said the assembly was in sitting and he time and again took the issue in the House. Unfortunately, he said the then Law Minister Rana Sana Ullah Khan, instead of taking measures to protect the lives of citizens was paying a deaf ear to the complaint.

Mian Aslam demanded public execution for the elements involved in Model Town and Sahiwal tragedies.

Malik Mohammed Ahmed, the PML-N legislator, in his speech on the occasion stated that neither of the tragedies, whether it was that of Model Town or related to Sahiwal could be endorsed or accepted.

The Punjab Assembly members also indulged in cross talk during debate on Sahiwal incident and both sides remained busy in traditional blame game. “Have some shame” said Malik Waris Kallu of PML-N while speaking on the Sahiwal tragedy whereas Law Minister Raja Basharat, while responding to him stated ‘this incident would have never taken place if you people have done some shame.’

Law Minister Raja Basharat while responding to the demand of Opposition to constitute the Judicial Commission stated that the government had no objection over it but it would be done if the findings of the JIT were not satisfactory. He said the House would be taken into confidence after the finding of the JIT come to surface.

Punjab Ministers Chaudhry Zaheer ud Din, Sami Ullah Chaudhry, Akhter Malik and Opposition MPAs Azma Bokhari, Waris Kallu, Malik Arshed, Dr Mazhar Iqbal, ruling party legislators including Saeed Nawani, Nazeer Chohan participated in the debate.

When the House started to take up the agenda, quorum was pointed out by Azma Bokhari of PM,-N which was found incomplete. Bells were rung but the PA couldn’t meet the quorum after which proceedings were adjourned till Tuesday.

This is noteworthy that Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar was in assembly premises but despite his presence, the government was unable to meet the quorum.