PA resolution flays Daska killings

LAHORE
The Punjab Assembly on Monday unanimously passed a resolution introduced by Leader of Opposition PTI MPA Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed condemning the killing of Rana Khalid Abbas, President of the Daska Bar Association, and lawyer Irfan Chauhan by police earlier in the day.
In the other assembly business, the winner in PP-196 by-election Rana Mahmood-ul-Hassan of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) took oath in the House on Monday. In his speech, the newly elected MPA, who has served two times in the national assembly, thanked his party workers and the people of Multan for placing confidence in his leadership. He vowed to use his tenure to take strides in the field of education in South Punjab.
The call attention notices regarding crime were also answered by Home Minister Col. (retd) Shuja Khanzada.
The resolution drafted in collaboration with Law Minister Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman called for immediate arrest of guilty police officers and demanded that an inquiry should be conducted into the unfortunate incident. It expressed heartfelt condolences with the families of the victims and the local lawyers’ community of Daska tehsil in Sialkot district.
Earlier in the Monday session, the Leader of the Opposition had raised a Point of Order alerting the House to the protest being staged by lawyers outside the assembly premises. Rasheed blasted the government for making hollow promises of good governance and failing to take action against the recent spate of incidents involving extraordinary use of force by Punjab police. Ordinary persons are increasingly the targets of police violence and torture, he stated prior to question hour. His Point of Order led to the shouting from the Opposition Bench PTI MPA Arif Abbasi. Due to his request for an Out of Turn Call Attention Notice being denied by the Speaker, the entire Opposition staged a brief token walkout.
Minister for Human Rights and Minorities Khalil Tahir Sindhu, explaining the stance of the Punjab government, condemned the incident and assured the Opposition that the law minister would apprise the House of the steps taken. Spokesman Punjab Government Zaeem Qadri informed the assembly that Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had taken a notice of the firing by the Daska police and IG Punjab had been directed to investigate and arrest the police officers involved. Meanwhile, Chief Justice Lahore High Court Mansoor Malik has taken a suo motu notice of the killing of two lawyers on Monday, Qadri informed the assembly. PML-N MPA Sheikh Ijaz added that there was a consensus in the House over the matter and the SHO Daska had already been arrested by the police. He criticised the PTI for using the matter for political point-scoring.
The House became a victim of disorder during the Question Hour on the transport on Monday as PML-N MPA Inamullah Khan Niazi exchanged harsh words with PTI MPA Abdul Majeed Khan Niazi in Saraiki after the latter accused him of repeatedly changing parties. The row between the two parliamentarians began after PML-N MPA Muhammad Waheed Gull criticised the Opposition Party for mocking Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Nawaz Chohan for his indecipherable speech. Gull, addressing the Speaker on a Point of Order, blasted the PTI for submitting their resignations and returning to the House. Shortly after this, a fight erupted between the Niazis with Inamullah cursing PTI Chief Imran Khan. Minister Nadeem Kamran and PML-N MPA Rana Arshad proceeded to calm down the angered MPA.
Returning to the House after the walkout, the PML-N MPA addressed the assembly and regretted that a member of his stature was made subject to non-parliamentary language. He proceeded to raise a Privilege Motion against the SHO City Mianwali for raiding his house without warrants and harassing his manager while he was in Lahore for assembly sessions. The PML-N MPA said apologies from the relevant persons are insufficient and needed to be seriously probed and action taken. On this occasion, Deputy Speaker assured Inamullah Khan Niazi that this would not be the case and he directed the Privilege Committee to inquire into the police raid.
Issues regarding non-allotment of cars to winners in Shahbaz Sharif’s Apna Rozgar Lottery were also brought up in the House by PTI MPA Dr. Murad Rass and PML-N MPA Sheikh Allaudin assured him that a Grievance Committee had already been formed to check this discrepancy. The PML-N MPA later urged the Punjab government to table an Adjournment Motion to stop the heavy imports of agricultural products from India as it was becoming difficult for local farmers to sell their produces in the markets.