October 18, 2003	Saturday	Sha'aban 21, 1424

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LAHORE, Oct 17: The opening session of the Punjab Assembly was adjourned until Monday afternoon without any business here on Friday as a mark of respect for the late Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, after the treasury and the opposition paid tribute to the veteran politician.

Fateha was also offered for the late Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, Maulana Azam Tariq, Ahmad Shah Khagga and the father of PML-Q MPA Nasim Lodhi.

The permission for paying tribute to the late ARD chief was sought by Leader of the Opposition Qasim Zia, and the move was not opposed by Law Minister Mohammad Basharat Raja.

The treasury and opposition members who spoke afterwards eulogized the services of the late Nawabzada for the cause of democracy, rule of law and the constitution while indirectly attacking each other’s political parties.

Speaker Chaudhry Afzal Sahi said in his concluding remarks that the late Nawabzada was a sincere patriot. He had struggled all his life for fortification of democracy and never compromised on principles.

He said the late Nawabzada always showed decency to his political opponents and never made them personal enemies. He raised his voice against the PPP and the PML-N governments but gathered them on a single platform afterwards. He never used any strong word against the Chaudhrys of Gujrat, he said.

Mr Sahi urged the MPAs to follow in the footsteps of the late Nawabzada by inculcating decency in their respective parties and refraining from turning political rivalries into personal enmities.

The law minister said the late Nawabzada was a sagacious politician and a man of principles, who had set good examples in politics.

He said it was strange that the PPP and the PML-N which had once talked of throwing the late Nawabzada into the Arabian Sea were now jointly paying tributes to the veteran politician. He said these parties later had to seek refuge at the residence of the late Nawabzada.

He said the veteran leader always abided by the law and the constitution while struggling against dictators. It was the greatness of the late Nawabzada that despite reservations against various politicians he respected all of them. He had struggled against all those who betrayed democracy.

Qasim Zia said the government had set a good example by agreeing to allow the assembly to praise the late Nawabzada who launched a long struggle against all those who hijacked democracy.

He said the late Nawabzada wanted rule of democracy, people and the parliament. In his death, the country lost a personality who could unite the country, he said.

Rana Sanaullah Khan while referring to the present government said the late Nawabzada always used to term a political era better than a dictatorship however bad it might be.

He said the late leader even stood against a political government that turned autocratic, and used to term democracy a must for good governance.

He said the late Nawabzada always despised opportunism and never used indecent language against his opponents. This was why his opponents too were praising him at the moment, he said.