IGP appears before PA committee

Police officials barred deputy speaker from entering CM Secretariat

LAHORE: Inspector General of Police (IGP) Shoaib Dastageer on Tuesday appeared before a special committee of Punjab Assembly constituted by Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi over a privilege motion by Deputy Speaker Sardar Dost Muhammad Mazari.

The deputy speaker had said on Monday in the house that his privilege was breached when he along with his staff member was not allowed to enter the Chief Minister’s Secretariat by police officials. The members unanimously said the IGP must be summoned to the assembly and no other business was taken up until the IGP appeared before the committee.

The committee headed by Speaker Elahi included Mazari, Law Minister Raja Basharat and Malik Nadeem Kamran from the PML-N.

Mazari said in the privilege motion that he went to meet the CM but the police stopped him at the gate and said the staff member could not enter the secretariat. “I asked the police officials deputed there to search my official vehicle and my staff because they did not carry any arms but they flatly refused. The behaviour of the police staff was very rude and insulting with me despite knowing that I am the deputy speaker,” he said.

Speaker Pervaiz Elahi said after the committee’s meeting that all the issues were discussed with the IGP who had said that whatever decision the panel took would be implemented. “I have directed the chairman of the Privilege Committee not to be lenient with any officer as the respect of our members is very dear to us,” said the speaker.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 29^th, 2020.