LAHORE, Oct 16: Opposition challenged the claim of the law minister regarding the law and order situation in the province.

Opposition Leader Qasim Zia said the prime minister had, in a letter written to all the chief ministers, expressed dissatisfaction over the law and order situation in the country. “How can the minister claim the law and order situation in the Punjab is better?” he said.

The Punjab government, he said, had taken some measures but it neither had any vision nor any priority. The merit policy was flouted in recruitment process for the newly-established check-posts in the province.

The Lahore SSP, Zia said, had recently said some of the policemen were involved in street crimes. “It is evident from the PA record that maximum number of privilege motions and call attention notices are against the police department.”

The police, he said, could neither find any clue to the stolen car of the law minister nor could it trace out the vehicle taken away from the son of Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.

Minister for Communication Chaudhry Zaheeruddin interrupted the opposition leader on a point of order and said the brother of their (PPP) leader was murdered when she was the prime minister.

Mr Zia proposed a parliamentary commission, comprising equal number of government and opposition MPAs, to review the performance of police. Registration of FIR on every complaint must be ensured and use of police force to curb political rivals should come to an end, he demanded.

The police department should also present its annual performance report before the house on the pattern of the ombudsman, Zia suggested.

PPP’s Farzana Raja said it seemed the law minister was unhappy over the fact that the increase in crime rate was much less than the demographic growth rate in the province.

The minister, she said, had promised to present a report regarding the involvement of MQM in street crime before the house but it seemed after meeting of their leaders with Altaf Hussain he had been asked not to do so.

MMA’s Arshad Baggu said police stations did not have required number of staff, transport and weapons. The situation started deteriorating further when the police order was enforced.