LAHORE: Punjab Home Minister Shuja Khanzada on Tuesday disclosed to the members of the Punjab Assembly that Indian intelligence agency RAW sent a text message to the manger of Zimbabwean cricket team in Dubai threatening them with “possibility of terrorism in Pakistan and cancellation of tour”.

He said the message received by the team manager was finally tracked down and it was found that it had come from New Delhi and that RAW was behind this conspiracy to malign Pakistan.

“A majority of countries pressed hard the Zimbabwean cricket team not to visit terrorism-hit Pakistan and when they decided in principle and left for Pakistan to play matches, the Karachi terror attack occurred. We assured the hesitant Zimbabweans of full security. When the team reached Dubai airport they received a text message which threatened them with the treatment IS gives others by cutting people’s throats,” he revealed.

He said India wanted that the cricket series should be cancelled so that Pakistan’s image could be tarnished but all-out security was assured to the Zimbabwean cricket team to foil nefarious designs of India.

The minister said the biggest challenge for Pakistani law-enforcement agencies including the police was to ensure security of cricket series which was restored by the ICC after a lapse of six years, thanking LEAs for protecting the foreign team and helping conduct the five-match series successfully.

He said international agencies including RAW were responsible for 90pc of the terrorism in Pakistan.

Khanzada, who was replying to the cut motions moved by the opposition members on police, said India and other countries were opposing the Pak-China Economic Corridor Project as they could not see healthy activities in Pakistan.

When PTI MPA Mian Aslam Iqbal asked the minister to answer his question regarding rising street crime, the minister acknowledged that police performance did not improve when the chief minister increased pays five years ago and then focus was shifted to training and capacity building of the police force, elimination of political interference in recruitment and transfers and IT intervention.

He said the induction of highly-educated and highly-trained 1,500 CTD officials, installation of 18,000 CCTVs at 800 points in Lahore under the Safe City Project, raising of 1,000 police officials for intelligence wing, full-time availability of 7,000 Elite Police Force commandos for rapid deployment and creation of riot and mounted police would improve general law and order.

Home minister’s disclosure part of PA proceedings

Khazada said as Chinese were going to invest $46 billion under the CPEC, the Punjab government was providing them 6,000 officials (10 battalions) for security. He said the Punjab Special Branch, which was being revamped with the induction of 600 young people to make it a modern civilian institution, would not have a single policeman in future. He said previously physically ill and non-professional policemen were the part of the SB.

He said 23,620 cases had been registered with regard to terrorism under the National Action Plan and 25,260 persons had been arrested. He informed the house that of the 208 people declared guilty in terrorist activities in Punjab, 77 had so far been arrested while efforts were being made for the arrest of others.

Earlier, MPAs Dr Murad Ras and Nabeela Hakim Ali of PTI and Sardar Shahabuddin of PPP initiated debate on cut motion regarding police department and questioned the allocations of Rs87 billion for police which, according to them, had failed to provide protection to the citizens. The cut motion moved by the opposition was rejected with majority vote.

Later, opposition members while initiating debate on the cut motion on budgetary allocations for agriculture criticised the sugar millers for shifting their mills to south Punjab in connivance with the ruling government and converting the prime agricultural land of Lahore district into real estate. They urged the government not to impose GST on cash crops to give boost to the agriculture in Punjab.

Waseem Akhtar of JI said there was dire need to stop sugar mills from setting up plants in south Punjab to save cotton belt. He reminded the chief minister of his earlier commitment to discourage the trend.

Mian Aslam Iqbal (PTI) said the PML-N government was intentionally eliminating agricultural land of Lahore by allowing land grabbers like New LDA City to squeeze growers.

He said sugar was available in market at Rs65 per kg instead of official rate of Rs52 because the owners of sugar mills were incumbent rulers, adding the sugarcane growers were being deprived of real price.

MPA Raheela Anwar from opposition benches deplored that the Punjab government was depriving Jhelum of irrigated water and farmers of different incentives.

Winding up the debate, Punjab Agriculture Minister Dr Farrukh Javed hinted at taking up the matter of sugar mills with the federal government. He said the balance of trade between Pakistan and India was on an equal footing. The cut motion on agriculture was also rejected by the house by majority vote.

Meanwhile, the Punjab Assembly approved 43 demands for grants worth Rs1,274 billion, while cut motions moved by the opposition were rejected by treasury benches with majority vote.

At one time, the opposition members walked out of the house in protest after members were disallowed by the chair to speak over three cut motions after due time of debate. They returned only after two provincial ministers went to bring them back on the intervention of the speaker.

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif came to the house for a few minutes before the approval of last two demands of grants. Just before his arrival, several PML-N lawmakers rushed to the house to ensure their presence. Earlier, the proceedings began with very thin presence from both sides.

The session was adjourned for Wednesday (today).

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2015

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