ISLAMABAD, July 3: The opposition in the Senate on Saturday blasted the government for its failure to provide security of life and honour to the people and to nab those involved in target killings.

Speaking on an adjournment motion sought to be moved by the combined opposition against the broad daylight assassination of Pir Binyamin Rizvi, a PML-N leader, in Lahore, the opposition senators said that most of the recently killed politicians belonged to the opposition.

The adjournment motion, which was not pressed after being opposed by the treasury, had been jointly moved by Mian Raza Rabbani of PPP Parliamentarians, Prof Ghafoor and Maulana Gul Nasib of MMA, Ishaq Dar of PML-N, Asfandyar Wali of ANP and Sanaullah Baloch of Balochistan National Party.

Mr Rabbani said that law and order had turned so bad in Punjab that the assailants went scot-free after murdering Pir Binyamin and his gunman in a busy Lahore spot, and no one had been nabbed so far.

He said the circumstances in which the killing incident had taken place lent credence to the view that this was a political murder.

He said the Punjab administration showed callousness by taking away the body of the slain leader to his village when arrangements for his namaz-i-janaza had been made at 'Gol Masjid'.

Mr Rabbani had his doubts about the veracity of official claims that those arrested were suspected to be involved in the attack on Karachi's corps commander as their remand was being extended again and again.

He said that no case of target killings, including Sindh MPA Abdullah Murad, Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai, Munawar Suhrwardy and Pir Yamin had been solved by the police.

Ishaq Dar of PML-N said the slain leader of his party had expressed fears before his assassination that he might be eliminated by the government for his deep involvement in efforts at facilitating the homecoming of the Sharif family and because he was given certain responsibilities in the London meeting in which Shahbaz Sharif's return had been decided.

Prof Ghafoor accused the 'agencies' of kidnapping political workers and pressuring them to switch over to the government party. He said these workers should not be treated as enemies of the country.

Asfandyar Wali posed the question: "Was it a mere coincidence that all the victims of target killings and terrorism belonged to the opposition alone?"

He said such incidents had shaken the confidence of the people in the writ of the government.

Maulana Gul Nasib said that unless Islamic punitive laws were enforced, the law and order issues will remain unresolved "since justice cannot be delivered without the enforcement of Shariat law."

Responding to the opposition senators speeches, leader of the house Wasim Sajjad said the murder of Pir Binyamin was a matter of sorrow for the treasury benches as well, and the whole house shared grief.

He told the house that the Punjab government had already set up numerous investigation teams to nab the culprits and ascertain the motives behind the murder.

He, however, did not agree with the notion that only opposition workers were the target of terrorism, and said the terrorists "do not select their target."

He said the wave of terrorism gripping the country was a threat to the Islamic civilisation and "all of us must act together to get rid of it."

The treasury benches wanted to table a resolution which was forwarded by Balochistan and Punjab provinces recommending parliament to legislate in matters not touched in both the concurrent list as well as the legislative list.

Mian Raza Rabbani opposed the tabling of the resolution under rule 137, 138 and 139 of the rules of business on technical grounds which led to a heated debate.

Senate's deputy chairman Khalilur Rahman announced in the closing moments of the session that he had reserved a decision on the discussion, and that the resolution will be tabled on some other day.

He adjourned the house till 6.30pm on Monday.