Punjab Assembly: Session held up as chair accused of land grab

Treasury benches pass three bills amid loud protests.

LAHORE:

The acting Punjab Assembly speaker once again faced allegations of land grabbing that led to pandemonium in the assembly session on Thursday.

The opposition protested after its adjournment motion against Sardar Sher Ali Gorchani was not taken up. Opposition members claimed Gorchani had grabbed 70 acres of Auqaf Department’s agricultural land in Dera Ghazi Khan. The opposition had earlier accused him of encroaching 6,000 acres of the Forest Department land in Rajanpur.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers Sardar Ali Raza Dreshak and Ahmad Ali requested the speaker to allow them to speak on the issue. Gorchani said rules did not allow anyone to discuss the conduct of the speaker.

Dreshak then said a senior lawmaker should be asked to chair the session and decide on his adjournment motion.

Gorchani said he could not do that. He said he could meet  opposition lawmakers in his chambers after the session and discuss the allegations. He said he was ready to defend himself before the media if the opposition wanted to.

Opposition members from the PTI, Jamaat-e-Islami, PPP and PML-Q stood up in protest and asked Gorchani to entertain the adjournment motion.

They also tore copies of the day’s agenda, thumped the desks, shouted slogans against treasury benches and surrounded the speaker’s rostrum. Gorchani ignored the protest and continued with the house proceedings.

Treasury benches later passed three bills amid the ruckus. They are the Punjab Livestock Breeding Bill 2014, the Punjab Civil Servants Amendment Bill 2014 and the Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability Amendment Bill 2014.

Dreshak later told journalists that no action had been taken against Gorchani although he had submitted documents proving occupation of land to the privilege committee.

Dreshak had submitted a motion on May 16 claiming that Gorchani had grabbed 70 acres of Auqaf Department’s land with the help of Dera Ghazi police and administration. He said the agricultural land was located in Old Deera and Haji Ghazi areas and had been cultivated by local farmers for 30 years.

He said Gorchani’s men had also destroyed crop on the land. He said police were now patrolling the land and keeping the farmers away.

Speaking to the media, Law Minister Rana Sanaullah defended Gorchani. He said the acting speaker had acquired the land after fulfilling the legal obligations.

Gorchani said his brother Sher Dil Gorchani had acquired the land on lease from the Auqaf Department. He said Dreshak’s supporters had grabbed the land and Dil Khan had informed the police about that. He said Dil Khan had sought police help to recover the land on May 19.

The question hour related to the Housing, Urban Development and Public Health Engineering Department. Provincial minister Malik Tanveer Aslam answered the questions.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 23^rd, 2014.