Opposition demands implementation of National Action Plan

Demands depoliticisation of police department

LAHORE: Opposition parties strongly condemned Ferozpur Road suicide blast and unanimously demanded the government to implement National Action Plan (NAP) in its true spirit in all parts of the country, especially in Punjab.

Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Peoples’ Party, Pakistan Muslim League (PML) and other opposition parties strongly criticised the Punjab government for the blast, which claimed 26 lives.



After inquiring health of blast victims at the Lahore General Hospital on Tuesday, PTI leaders Shafqat Mahmood and Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar placed the suicide blast responsibility on the Punjab government, saying that the incident took place due to the government’s intervention in the job of law enforcing agencies. They demanded the government to depoliticise the police department and let them handle the security matters in a professional way.

The PTI leaders expressed their dissatisfaction over treatment facilities being provided to the blast victims. Shafqat said, “Nearly 10,000 patients visit Lahore General Hospital for treatment but it has only 1,200 beds. The Punjab government has set all its focus only on roads and bridges and neglecting important sectors like health and education.”



Punjab Assembly

PTI MPA Shoaib Siddiqui presented an adjournment motion in the Punjab Assembly in which he strongly condemned Ferozepur Road suicide attack. He pointed out that even after spending billions of rupees from the public exchequer on Safe Cities Initiative, the security situation in the province was no different. The government had installed high-tech CCTV cameras in every nook and corner of the city but terrorists were still easily operating. Such incidents had put a question mark on the Safe City Initiatives, he said and demanded an independent audit of the project. He underlined the government should completely implement the NAP in all parts of the city.

Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Mian Mahmood-ur-Rasheed termed the Punjab Safe Cities project a failure on the part of the Punjab government. He also demanded an independent audit of the project because all initiatives made under the project could not help in controlling crime rate in the provincial capital.

Qamar Zaman Kaira news conference

PPP Central Punjab President Qamar Zaman Kaira while speak at a press conference held on Tuesday said that implementation of the NAP was the need of the hour. He criticised the Punjab government for not allowing law enforcement agencies to conduct operation in main cities of the province. He added that the provincial government had dubious characters in its own ranks and on several occasion ruling party’s ministers had levelled serious allegations against each other but the government was silent.



Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML) senior central leader Chaudhry Parvez Elahi said that the death toll increased due to the lack of medical facilities and medicines and Shehbaz was responsible for the situation.

Parvez said that during the 10 years of Shehbaz’s government in Punjab, more than 800 innocent civilians have lost their lives and patients were struggling for their lives in the government hospitals. “The chief minister and his ministers reach hospitals after every incident with bouquets only for photo sessions, whereas patients need medicines and facilities and not flowers.”

He underscored if Shehbaz had not destroyed the government hospitals in the province during the last 10 years then lives of hundreds of injured persons could have been saved.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 26^th, 2017.