Opposition questions IGP’s replacement

Minister says Hamza skips PA sessions despite production orders

LAHORE:

Opposition and treasury members traded barbs in Punjab Assembly on Tuesday over the replacement of the inspector general of police (IGP) in the province for the fifth time in two years.

The treasury members claimed it was the prerogative of Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar to replace the top official of Punjab Police. They said Opposition leader Hamza Shehbaz Sharif also used his privilege by not attending the assembly session despite reaching there on production orders.

Speaking on a point of order, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) parliamentary leader Syed Hassan Murtaza said, “Punjab has been made hostage for obtaining political benefits.” He alleged that the province had suffered because of such changes in the departments.

He 'congratulated' Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi over the government’s decision to change the IGP.

He said no other chief minister was allowed to replace the IGPs, wondering why such changes were being brought about only in Punjab. The speaker said the IGP had also been replaced in Sindh.

PML-N’s Samiullah Khan also criticised the government over the replacement, adding that good results could not be obtained by changing faces in Punjab. For obtaining good results it is necessary to provide the officials a good atmosphere to perform in their areas, he added.

Provincial Law Minister Raja Basharat responded by alleging that Sindh had been ruined by the PPP's provincial government. He said a party having six members in Punjab Assembly did not have the right to use improper words for the elected members.

The minister said CM Buzdar had the power to replace the province’s top police officials. He said the government had avoided pointing out the privilege being enjoyed by the opposition leader who arrived at the assembly but did not bother to attend its session.

The speaker later prorogued the assembly session.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 9^th, 2020.