Opposition lashes out at govt for inability to protect people

Lower house highlights aspects of incompetence shown by Punjab govt, discuss capital punishment for rapists

Suspending normal activities, the opposition held discussion over the brutal rape and murder of a minor in Kasur.

In his opening remarks, NA speaker Ayaz Sadiq said that "whatever happened to her is not just saddening, but utterly shameful."

Criticising the government, opposition leader Khursheed Shah said that he was at a loss for words saying "the Kasur incident is a failure of the Punjab government."



Shah stated that multiple such incidents have occurred in volumes, and that "forces on motorcycles show that Punjab is safe, but is it really?" he questioned. " This incident is a procession on the preceding incidents in which no actions were taken."

Shah also stated that it is government's responsibility to provide security to the people, and suggested that statistics of crimes from each province should be gathered to assess which government is failing.

However, member Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha opposed the idea of political point scoring through Kasur incident and blame game. "It is political and societal terrorism. Menace is everywhere - which has to end."

"Have such incidents not happened in Larkana or Dera Ismail Khan? We will have to accept that we did not pay heed to such incidents," he completed. "Lifetime imprisonment is not enough, such culprits should be hanged publicly."

Member of National Assembly (MNA) of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Shireen Mazari taking the floor said: "Politics should not be priority during the Kasur incident. This incident shows the mindset of our society. If we don't accept this reality, we will never be able to curb it," she said.

'These resolutions are meaningless unless action is taken. A parliamentary committee should be made to oversee the matter," she suggested. A ruling MNA had said that it is the responsibility of the parents to take care of their child, "such statements are more shameful than the incident itself," Mazari added.

She said that over 200 children were targeted in 2015, this is the 12th case of rape and murder. "A single DNA matched with five such cases, the government knew and still didn't take any action. This is the failure of the Punjab government," Mazari concluded.



Jamiat Ulema-e Islami-Fazl MNA Naeema Kishwar said that this incident is "a slap on the entire nation." "No actions were taken against the men who oppressed women in Dera Ismail Khan or Abbottabad," she added. She claimed that cause of issues is deviation from the Islamic teachings.

"Allah has set a punishment for the men involved in such incidents. Our own people oppose us, when we talk about Islamic punishments. Thankfully, today Shireen Mazari, Mohsin Shah Nawaz Ranjha and media are also talking about hanging the culprit," she concluded.

SC, PHC jurisdictions extended to FATA

The National Assembly passed the Supreme Court and High Court Extension of Jurisdiction to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas Bill 2017.

Law Minister Bashir Virk had moved the bill.

Earlier, a meeting of the House Business Advisory Committee was held with speaker of the National Assembly in the chair which decided that the current session of the National Assembly will continue until December 25.