Irresponsibility can derail democracy: Speaker

PPP and PML-N MPAs asked to 'respect one another' if they want to strengthen democracy.

LAHORE: Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal warned the members during Wednesday’s session that their behaviour could be detrimental for democracy.  This warning came after a verbal tirade between PPP and PML-N MPAs. Chief Minister’s Senior Advisor Zulfiqar Khosa, too appealed for the PPP and PML-N MPAs to respect one another if they wanted to strengthen democracy.

Earlier, speaking on an adjournment motion, PPP’s Uzma Bokhari said that the government would not be blackmailed by some private TV channels.

She criticised Law Minister Rana Sanaullah for supporting “conspiracies against the government and trying to derail the democratic system”.

Sanullah said that the PPP members should resolve their ‘personal’ disputes away from the assembly floor. He added that the PPP members should respond to the allegations against them. He added that the PPP should explain the appointments of ‘corrupt’ people like Ayaz Niazi as the National Insurance Company’s chairman.

Shaukat Basra objected to Sanaullah’s statements.“PML-N has suddenly become so concerned about the media. Why then did they earlier propose a resolution against the freedom of media?” he asked.

Law and order:

Rana Sanaullah told the house that of the 307 suspected terrorists arrested in 2010, 103 have been sentenced to death and 21 to life imprisonment. He said that 168 suspects have been killed in 21 encounters. He assured the house that a judicial inquiry followed every police encounter. He said that a total of 291,273 cases have been registered so far during the current year. Of these, he said, 210,310 have been sent to the courts. The law minister said that the police have recovered Rs680 million from 68,159 criminals arrested during the year. He said that the law enforcement agencies were monitoring the movement of the 461 people released from Afghan Jails. Some of them, he said, are in police custody. Nine suicide jackets, 27,967 kg explosives and four rocket launchers have been recovered from their possession.

He said that there were three terrorist attacks during the year, in which 257 civilian and 24 police casualties were reported. He said that 88 civilians and 66 policemen were injured in these attacks. Sanaullah said that 29 cases were registered against banned religious organisations for collecting charitable donations and 8 for publishing hate literature.

Opposition member Amir Sultan Cheema criticised the government for its failure to control crime. He said that 40,066 cases were registered during PML-Q government’s last year in office. He added that more than 43,000 cases have already been registered in 10 months of 2010.

Riaz, Ghafoor fail to respond to queries:

Senior Minister Raja Riaz and Abdul Ghafoor Mayo failed to satisfy the house with their responses to the questions directed at them. Riaz requested the speaker to keep questions for him pending for the next session. He said he had to leave for Islamabad to attend an emergency.

This annoyed Ejaz Ahmed Khan who said that it was a breach of the parliamentary norms. He added that if Riaz had to leave then the parliamentary secretary should answer the queries in his place.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 21^st, 2010.