NA Speaker reserves ruling on Khokhar’s privilege motion

Ag Agencies

ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser on Friday reserved a ruling on a privilege motion of lawmaker Afzal Khokhar after hearing a heated exchange from Khokhar and Adviser to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker moved a privilege motion against officials of district administration Lahore for demolishing his property at Johar Town. The motion was filed days after Lahore’s authorities demolished his residence in an operation which, according to them, was to reclaim government land. The PML-N and the government have since traded accusations about the matter.

Following his motion, Awan argued about the admissibility of the motion and said 45-kanal government owned land worth Rs1.5 billion had been vacated from the “land mafia”.

However, Khokhar said he had proof of his ownership and his family was the fourth owner of the land. The NA speaker reserved a ruling on it.

Later, former prime minister and PML-N’s senior vice president Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said the NA Speaker “failed to defend the rights of the masses and rights of a representative of the masses”. He also said the party expects whatever decision the NA speaker will deliver.

He lamented tactics that were meant to “suppress” Afzal Khokhar and keep him away from the Assembly so he should not support the PML-N and represent his voters. He said: “In the history of Pakistan the house of an MNA was never demolished but today we have reached this point.”

On the occasion, Ahsan Iqbal said the “project Imran Khan has failed”. Replying a question, Iqbal said even if 500 years were given to Prime Minister Khan, “he still would not be able to do anything due to his sheer incompetence”.