LAHORE:
The opposition in the Punjab assembly strongly condemned police incursions for the residences of their MPA and the alleged harassment of their families ahead of Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf (PTI) throughout the country on August 5.
When the assembly session began, under the president of the interim president, Malik Zaheer Iqbal Channer, the leader of the Deputy opposition Muhammad Moeenuddin Riaz raised the issue at a point of order, expressing a serious concern for what he described as a preventive repression.
“There are still many days on August 5, but police officers have already begun to make raids in the residences of our MPA,” he said.
“It is unfortunate that the families of our MPA and workers are also being harassed by the Punjab Police,” he added, demanding that the law minister take an immediate notification of the situation.
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Riaz also expressed the disappointment for the delay in forming a committee to investigate an anterior incident that involves an attack and the use of abusive language against the MPA of the opposition by the private legislators of the Treasury legislators.
However, the Provincial Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Mian Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman seemed unknown to the raids. “It’s not that I know,” he said, while assuring the house that he would communicate with senior police officers and the Department of Origin for more information.
Later, the opposition MPA, Tayyab Rashid, raised concerns about the illegal trade of human organs, claiming that a kidney transplant racket was operating in Sheikhupura “under the nose of Prime Minister Maryam Nawaz.”
He criticized the government for attacking the opposition instead of addressing pressing issues that affect the public. “The government should get rid of the opposition and do something for the needy masses,” he said.
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PPP MPA Qazi Ahmad Saeed also spoke on the floor, highlighting an alleged water theft scandal. He said that influential people were diverting the water from the channel to their own lands, leaving defenseless poor farmers. “The doors of the worried authorities were goal many times, but their efforts were useless,” he told the assembly.
From the treasury banks, MPA Amjad Ali Javed raised a problem regarding the policies of the Higher Education Commission (HEC), stating that the new regulations were causing anguish among computer students.
He said that he had ruled that a computer title would not be considered valid without the accreditation of a specific council.
“Students who have completed two semesters are now deeply concerned about the subject,” Javed said. He urged the serious to review and relax the policy in the interest of the future of the students.
