March 30, 2007	Friday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 10, 1428

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

LAHORE, March 29: The Punjab Assembly session, requisitioned by the opposition, was prorogued on Thursday without debating the law and order situation in the province after a treasury member pointed out a lack of quorum soon after the government business was transacted.

When the question hour ended and a few adjournment motions had been presented, parliamentary secretary Malik Muhammad Ahmad pointed out to the chair that the house was not in order. Deputy Speaker Shaukat Mazari called for counting at a time when only four treasury MPAs, including law minister Muhammad Basharat Raja and communication minister Chaudhry Zaheeruddin, were present in the house.

The opposition members then started raising slogans. They stood on their chairs and some assembled before the speaker’s rostrum protesting against the ‘wilful’ absence of the treasury members. MMA MPA Arshad Baggu said before the quorum was pointed out that the session’s agenda did not include the debate on law and order which was in deviation of the government’s undertaking at the assembly advisory that discussion on the subject would take place on Thursday.

Responding to the opposition’s protest, the law minister said maintaining the quorum was the responsibility of the opposition which had requisitioned the session. He said the treasury members were prepared for a full day debate on law and order provided the quorum was maintained by the opposition.

The law minister said he would himself get a fraud case registered against Rana Sanaullah Khan, the PML-N leader, who, he said, had submitted a bogus requisition to the assembly secretariat for a special session. He said he would also move the Punjab Assembly with a resolution against Mr Khan on the charge of misconduct because some of the signatures on the requisition were not genuine.

However, the speaker intervened saying the issue stood referred to a PA committee and no one should offer comments till the committee report was received.

When the time for ringing of bells was over, the second count showed the presence of only 53 members who included two treasury MPAs and two ministers. The speaker, subsequently, announced the prorogation order which was responded by the slogans in favour of the independence of the judiciary and against the reference against Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

The opposition members then gathered outside the assembly building where they continued sloganeering. Leader of the opposition Qasim Zia said the opposition would again requisition the PA session. “They (the treasury) will not be allowed to escape discussion on important national issues,” he resolved.

ASHRAF SOHNA: Earlier, the speaker referred to the privileges committee the issue of registering a case which charged PPP MPA Muhammad Ashraf Sohna with terrorism. Mr Sohna raised the issue through a point of order. He said the police charge was false and when he was released on bail by a court, he was arrested on the charge of fodder theft.

The law minister alleged that a video evidence was available to substantiate the charge of terrorism.