Punjab Assembly: PML-N, PPP find common ground on Davis release
Law Minister Rana Sanaullah says that the outcome flowed from Shariah.
LAHORE:
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan Peoples Party on Thursday found common ground in the debate on the acquittal and release of US national Raymond Davis during the fifth day of the Punjab Assembly session.
Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said that the outcome flowed from Shariah. He insisted that the provincial government had no role in it. The PPP members said the way the case was handled was commendable. They saw occasion to congratulate the nation for the government’s achievement in making the US submit to the Pakistani law.
The Pakistan Muslim League –Quaid and the Mutahidda Majlis-e-Amal, however, protested against the release. The latter staged a walk out from the house.
Speaking on a point of order, PML-Q parliamentary leader Chaudhry Zaheer criticised the government for not lodging an FIR against Davis under the charge of spying. He also asked why the government had not challenged the court’s decision to let Davis go in the illegal weapons case. with a nominal fine.
If US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s statement that the US government had paid no compensation was to be believed, he asked, then who had paid the diyat amount to the families.
The law minister said that the counsel for the accused, Advocate Raja Irshad Kayani, had paid the compensation amount on behalf his client. He suggested also that rather than raising objections to the court verdict in the assembly, Zaheer move a review petition before the court.
He said the government could not charge Davis with espionage because of the Interior Ministry’s failure to respond to its letter seeking information about the wireless set and the camera recovered from Davis. He said these items were sent to the Intelligence Bureau and later the Inter Services Intelligence.
Sanaullah said he was not aware of the whereabouts of the families of the deceased. He said they might be avoiding public attention.
He told the House that all members of the two families mentioned in the settlement had personally submitted affidavits before the additional district and sessions’ judge, testifying that they were going into a diyat settlement.
He rejected Advocate Asad Manzoor Butt’s claim that his clients (Faizan and Fahim’s families) had been coerced into signing the deal.
Responding to a question about Ebadur Rahman’s case, He said the Foreign Office had yet to respond to the five letters written by the provincial government.
He said the letters were written after the US consulate in Lahore had told the government that it needed to contact the US government for information regarding the driver who had crushed Rahman on January 27.
Responding to opposition leader’s question about the young doctors’ strike, Senior Advisor to the Chief Minister Sirdar Zulfiqar Khosa said that the pay raise doctors were demanding required Rs38 billion. He said the government was not in a position to arrange the amount immediately.
Six bills presented before the house on Thursday were referred to the committees concerned. Of the two call attention notices, one was dealt with during the session and the other disposed of because of the absence of PPP’s Shaukat Mehmood Basra, who had submitted the notice on March 14.
PML-Q’s Sameena Khawar Hayat’s privilege motion against District Officer (Revenue) Zulfiqar Ghumman was also referred to the committee concerned.
The session was adjourned till Friday 10 am.
Riaz moves for prayers for Nawaz
On a point of order, Opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly, Raja Riaz, asked the house to pray for the early recovery of Pakistan Muslim League’s chief Nawaz Sharif. Sharif was rushed to a hospital in London on Wednesday after he reportedly suffered from heart problem.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 18th, 2011.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan Peoples Party on Thursday found common ground in the debate on the acquittal and release of US national Raymond Davis during the fifth day of the Punjab Assembly session.
Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said that the outcome flowed from Shariah. He insisted that the provincial government had no role in it. The PPP members said the way the case was handled was commendable. They saw occasion to congratulate the nation for the government’s achievement in making the US submit to the Pakistani law.
The Pakistan Muslim League –Quaid and the Mutahidda Majlis-e-Amal, however, protested against the release. The latter staged a walk out from the house.
Speaking on a point of order, PML-Q parliamentary leader Chaudhry Zaheer criticised the government for not lodging an FIR against Davis under the charge of spying. He also asked why the government had not challenged the court’s decision to let Davis go in the illegal weapons case. with a nominal fine.
If US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s statement that the US government had paid no compensation was to be believed, he asked, then who had paid the diyat amount to the families.
The law minister said that the counsel for the accused, Advocate Raja Irshad Kayani, had paid the compensation amount on behalf his client. He suggested also that rather than raising objections to the court verdict in the assembly, Zaheer move a review petition before the court.
He said the government could not charge Davis with espionage because of the Interior Ministry’s failure to respond to its letter seeking information about the wireless set and the camera recovered from Davis. He said these items were sent to the Intelligence Bureau and later the Inter Services Intelligence.
Sanaullah said he was not aware of the whereabouts of the families of the deceased. He said they might be avoiding public attention.
He told the House that all members of the two families mentioned in the settlement had personally submitted affidavits before the additional district and sessions’ judge, testifying that they were going into a diyat settlement.
He rejected Advocate Asad Manzoor Butt’s claim that his clients (Faizan and Fahim’s families) had been coerced into signing the deal.
Responding to a question about Ebadur Rahman’s case, He said the Foreign Office had yet to respond to the five letters written by the provincial government.
He said the letters were written after the US consulate in Lahore had told the government that it needed to contact the US government for information regarding the driver who had crushed Rahman on January 27.
Responding to opposition leader’s question about the young doctors’ strike, Senior Advisor to the Chief Minister Sirdar Zulfiqar Khosa said that the pay raise doctors were demanding required Rs38 billion. He said the government was not in a position to arrange the amount immediately.
Six bills presented before the house on Thursday were referred to the committees concerned. Of the two call attention notices, one was dealt with during the session and the other disposed of because of the absence of PPP’s Shaukat Mehmood Basra, who had submitted the notice on March 14.
PML-Q’s Sameena Khawar Hayat’s privilege motion against District Officer (Revenue) Zulfiqar Ghumman was also referred to the committee concerned.
The session was adjourned till Friday 10 am.
Riaz moves for prayers for Nawaz
On a point of order, Opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly, Raja Riaz, asked the house to pray for the early recovery of Pakistan Muslim League’s chief Nawaz Sharif. Sharif was rushed to a hospital in London on Wednesday after he reportedly suffered from heart problem.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 18th, 2011.