LAHORE: Speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Pervez Elahi on Monday said that crime rate was increased in Punjab because of the ban imposed by PML-N government on recruitment in police during ten years tenure of PML-N government.

While expressing his views during the question hour on Home department Pervez Elahi said that not a single penny was spent on police during the PML-N government.

The session started 1 hour 33 minutes late under the chair of speaker Punjab Assembly. Speaker said that government has started recruiting in police all over Punjab. In Faisalabad recruitment should be done in police according to the proportion of population.

Punjab Minister for Law and Cooperatives Raja Basharat while replying to the questions of the members of the Assembly regarding the Home Department in the Assembly session on Monday said that after a long time, the present government had provided new vehicles to the police. He said, "The funds have been earmarked in the current budget for setting up 97 new petrol posts across the province." He said that a regular campaign was launched across the province for the arrest of proclaimed offenders and Inspector General Police (IGP) used to take reports from all the districts every month for the arrest of POs.

Law Minister said that action was also being taken against the officers responsible for poor performance against the POs. Raja Basharat said that Buzdar government had declared the current fiscal year as the year of construction and repair of police stations and no budget had been allocated for the residences of police officers. He said, "Unlike the previous government, we have freed the police from all pressures due to which they report crime without fear and danger, while the opposition calls it an increase in crime rate."

Responding to the objection of PML-N MPA Tahir Khalil Sindhu, he said that PML-N leader Ata Tarar and his associates stormed the police station, tore- off the police officials' uniforms. "This attitude of one to take the law into own hands should be change. We have registered a case against those responsible and action will be taken against them according to the law," he added.

Earlier, after the question hour PML-N MPA Zaib un Nisa Awan pointed the quorum. The speaker adjourned the session till Thursday after the treasury failed to complete the quorum.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021