Awan warns against ‘treason’
Speaks out against PML-N’s rally but has no objection to PTI’s rally.
LAHORE:
Senator Dr Babar Awan said the Punjab government would be penalised under the High Treason (Punishment) Act 1973 if it tried to dissolve the Punjab Assembly in order to hinder the upcoming Senate election.
The declaration came in response to a question at a press conference held at the residence of Raja Riaz, leader of the opposition in the Punjab Assembly.
Awan, meanwhile continued his tirade against the Punjab government. He ‘advised’ the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to cancel its rally scheduled for October 28. He said that according to information available to Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the Punjab government was planning on spending Rs1 billion from the tax payers’ money on putting up banners, pictures and distributing pamphlets, “just like Nawaz Sharif did in DG Khan”. “Use the one billion rupees for the treatment of dengue patients,” he said.
He criticised the Punjab government for holding a rally after ‘500 people’ had lost their lives to dengue across the province. “Instead of mourning their deaths, the Punjab government is going to celebrate Jashn-i-dengue on October 28”.
He said that PPP had obtained the above figure from independent sources. According to official figures the number of dengue deaths across the Punjab is 258.
While he strongly opposed PML-N’s rally, he had no objections to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) rally that is supposed to take place just two days after the PML-N rally, on October 30. “It is PTI chief, Imran Khan’s, right to stage a protest against the government since he is in the opposition,” the Senator said in response to a question.
He told the press that PPP was also planning on holding a rally in Faisalabad on October 28.
Awan accused Shahbaz Sharif of inciting civil disobedience by “openly provoking the people of his province to stand up against federal government and to burn and destroy state assets”. Under the constitution the chief minister is supposed to protect state assets and maintain law and order, he said.
He added that to save itself from embarrassment the Punjab government had directed police to stop registering FIRs for dacoity, kidnap for ransom and torture against women.
Continuing his criticism, he said the PML-N government had failed when it came to issues like price control and energy generation that had become provincial matters after 18th Amendment. “The Punjab, even after the lapse of two years, has not generated a single unit of electricity in the province,” he said, adding, “PML-N’s president Nawaz Sharif has neither a vision nor a policy for addressing Punjab’s biggest issues including power crisis, inflation, overdraft and a deficit budget.”
Babar Awan said the people had given a mandate to Nawaz Sharif in 1997 but he, instead of delivering services, had taken up fights with other institutions. “He has still not changed his attitude”.
In response to a question, he said that the PPP would contest the next election under the chairmanship of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 21st, 2011.
Senator Dr Babar Awan said the Punjab government would be penalised under the High Treason (Punishment) Act 1973 if it tried to dissolve the Punjab Assembly in order to hinder the upcoming Senate election.
The declaration came in response to a question at a press conference held at the residence of Raja Riaz, leader of the opposition in the Punjab Assembly.
Awan, meanwhile continued his tirade against the Punjab government. He ‘advised’ the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to cancel its rally scheduled for October 28. He said that according to information available to Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the Punjab government was planning on spending Rs1 billion from the tax payers’ money on putting up banners, pictures and distributing pamphlets, “just like Nawaz Sharif did in DG Khan”. “Use the one billion rupees for the treatment of dengue patients,” he said.
He criticised the Punjab government for holding a rally after ‘500 people’ had lost their lives to dengue across the province. “Instead of mourning their deaths, the Punjab government is going to celebrate Jashn-i-dengue on October 28”.
He said that PPP had obtained the above figure from independent sources. According to official figures the number of dengue deaths across the Punjab is 258.
While he strongly opposed PML-N’s rally, he had no objections to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) rally that is supposed to take place just two days after the PML-N rally, on October 30. “It is PTI chief, Imran Khan’s, right to stage a protest against the government since he is in the opposition,” the Senator said in response to a question.
He told the press that PPP was also planning on holding a rally in Faisalabad on October 28.
Awan accused Shahbaz Sharif of inciting civil disobedience by “openly provoking the people of his province to stand up against federal government and to burn and destroy state assets”. Under the constitution the chief minister is supposed to protect state assets and maintain law and order, he said.
He added that to save itself from embarrassment the Punjab government had directed police to stop registering FIRs for dacoity, kidnap for ransom and torture against women.
Continuing his criticism, he said the PML-N government had failed when it came to issues like price control and energy generation that had become provincial matters after 18th Amendment. “The Punjab, even after the lapse of two years, has not generated a single unit of electricity in the province,” he said, adding, “PML-N’s president Nawaz Sharif has neither a vision nor a policy for addressing Punjab’s biggest issues including power crisis, inflation, overdraft and a deficit budget.”
Babar Awan said the people had given a mandate to Nawaz Sharif in 1997 but he, instead of delivering services, had taken up fights with other institutions. “He has still not changed his attitude”.
In response to a question, he said that the PPP would contest the next election under the chairmanship of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 21st, 2011.