Opposition on the opening day of the Punjab assembly session on Thursday severely criticised the provincial government for framing cases against legislators and leadership of Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians (PPPP), who were holding a public meeting at Muree recently.
MPAs Rana Aftab, Rana Sanaullah, Arshad Buggo from opposition benches castigated the Punjab government for suppressing democratic working of the opposition and said while the government circles are holding a meeting or taking out a procession even under Section 144, no action was taken against them. He said it was tragic that opposition was being harassed for even exercising its democratic right. Punjab law minister Muhammad Basharat Raja, answering to this criticism, declared that the government was committed to democracy and any meeting held purely for the cause of democracy was allowed and welcome.
He, however, said in the garb of political activity if some criminal act was done then the law would take its due course. He further informed according to his information, shots were fired during the PPPP meeting at Murree and, therefore, cases were registered against leaders on this ground.
Journalists boycotted the assembly session to press for their demands including arrest of murderer of a journalist at Larkana. They protested against the provincial government's hesitation in taking action against policemen, who misbehaved with journalists.
A unanimous resolution was moved on the demise of MPA Muhammad Tahir Mehmud, who passed away in the assembly. House also offered prayers for Amar Cheema Shaheed and mother of MPA Saba Sadiq. Earlier, MPA Kashif Mehmud was sworn in by acting speaker Shaukat Mazari.
Earlier, opposition leader Qasim Zia criticised bad law & order situation in the province. Criticising the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), he averred the institution had failed to give respite to masses during the recent sugar crisis. He said deaths of people due to contaminated water in Faisalabad were a proof of ineffectiveness of the present government.
Punjab health minister Tahir Ali Javed informed the house that services of all contract doctors had been regularised in the province.
The minister, answering a question by MPA Khalida Mansoor regarding Faisalabad Maternity Hospital premises, said they had been handed over to the Government College University, Faisalabad. He, to another query, told the house that Tehsil Headquarter Hospital, Tandianwala had been completed at a cost of Rs 2.7147 million.
Punjab food minister Chaudhry Iqbal rejected allegations that wheat cultivators had not received price as set by the provincial government.
On a call attention notices by MPA Rana Aftab regarding a police encounter in which certain people had died at the hands of Sadiqabad police, law minister Muhammad Basharat Raja said it was not a fake encounter and persons killed in the encounter were dacoits. The minister said a judicial inquiry has already been conducted in this regard. On another call attention notice by MPA Arshad Baggo and MPA Samiullah Khan regarding kidnapping of one child Walid in Rawalpindi and later his murder, the law minister said all but one involved in this heinous crime had been arrested. The house will meet on Friday at 9:00am.
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