Furore in PA over ex-envoy’s comments on Ahmadis

Assembly session marred by absence of govt officials

LAHORE:

A fierce debate erupted on Thursday in the Punjab Assembly over the comments attributed to Wajid Shamsul Hasan, a former High Commissioner of Pakistan in the UK.

MPA Waheed Gul delivered a speech condemning comments attributed to Hasan about Ahmadis printed by an Urdu daily. Citing the newspaper, Gul said that Hasan had claimed that it was wrong to declare Ahmadis non Muslims. He said that the comments had hurt the sentiments of the Muslims.

Echoing similar concerns, MPAs from both the treasury and opposition benches demanded that a joint resolution be passed to condemn the statement. Raising several slogans during the session, lawmakers including MPAs Ilyas Chinioti, Dr Farzana Nazeer, Mian Aslam Iqbal and Qazi Ahmad Saeed, took to the floor to condemn the alleged statement.

Mian Aslam Iqbal said that Hasan should be stripped off all government titles and awards. Pakistan People’s Party parliamentary leader Qazi Ahmad Saeed proposed that an FIR be lodged against Hasan. He urged the government to take strict action against the former high commissioner.

Later, talking to reporters outside the assembly, a group of lawmakers, including Ilyas Chinioti, Waheed Gul and Qazi Saeed Ahmed, said that a resolution would be submitted in the assembly secretariat against Hasan. Chinioti said the statement was an insult to the assembly and added that a terrorism case be registered against Hasan for his alleged comments. Gul said that all parties were on board regarding the resolution.

Earlier, the session, chaired by Deputy Speaker Sardar Sher Ali Gorchani, faced a delay of over 90 minutes. Just one member of the cabinet, Minister for Mines and Minerals Sher Ali Khan, attended the session.

The session was marred by the absence of government officials. The speaker had to put most of the business on hold before adjourning the session after about an hour of its start.

Speaking on a point of order, MPA Mian Aslam Iqbal said that the law department had failed to introduce legislation in Urdu as had been agreed during a business advisory meeting. He said that Urdu drafts would allow legislators to better understand the laws to be debated in the assembly. The chair instructed the Law Department to provide legislative drafts in Urdu in accordance with an earlier decision.

Iqbal also called for ensuring provision of monetary compensation to families of lawmakers who lost their lives in the line of duty. A similar proposition had been made by lawmakers during Wednesday’s session.

The chair informed the House that a committee had already taken up the issue and invited parliamentary leaders of all parties to give their input. Gorchani also instructed Assembly Secretary Rai Mumtaz Hussain to forward the House’s recommendation to award Tamgha-i-Shujaat to home minister Col (r) Shuja Khanzada to the government. In accordance with instructions from the chair, a portrait of the home minister was also put up in the assembly. Prayers were also offered by lawmakers in the assembly gallery.

In the absence of the food minister, Parliamentary Secretary for Food Chaudhry Asadullah answered four questions. Lawmakers expressed concern over his failure to appropriately answer their questions. Gorchani reprimanded Asadullah for the absence of departmental officials. “This is not good practice… it must change,” he said. He said both the question hour and the call attention notices would be held pending due to the absence of government officials.

Eleven ordinances were laid before the assembly. These include the Punjab Safe Cities Authority, Punjab Drugs Ordinance, the Punjab Special Protection Unit Ordinance, the Infrastructure Development Authority of the Punjab Ordinance as well as amendments to the Punjab Local Government Ordinance.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 28^th, 2015.