LAHORE: Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah has said the law enforcement agencies are close to nabbing the culprits involved in attack on Col Shuja Khanzada and they will be arrested soon.

“We have got sufficient clues to the perpetrators of Attock attack (in which Punjab home minister and 19 others were killed on Aug 16)”. Those involved in the terrorist attack have been identified and soon the law enforcement agencies will nab them,” Mr Sanaullah told the Punjab Assembly on Monday.

He, however, declined to share more information in this regard in the House, saying it was not appropriate to make public the details of those involved in the incident at this stage.

The minister also told the House that four of the suspects involved in the killing of PML-N MPA Chaudhry Shamshad at Gujranwala had been arrested. “Some 13 suspects have been nominated in the FIR. Some of them have managed to flee the country for Dubai, along with their families. We will bring them back after getting their red warrants issued,” he said.

On a point of order, PML-N’s Chaudhry Arshad drew the attention of the chair towards the plight of sugarcane farmers. He said most of the sugar mills owners were not clearing the farmers’ dues. He said four sugar mills had defaulted and were sealed in 2013-14 and five others in 2014-15. The government claimed that a sugar mills in Chishtian had been sealed which was not factual, he added.

PML-Q’s Hasan Vikas Mokal said the government should check exploitation of the sugarcane farmers and help them get their dues.

Parliamentary secretary on food Chaudhry Asadullah said an amount of over Rs870 million was to be paid by sugar mills, which would be recovered by attaching its owners’ property to clear the farmers’ dues.

He ensured the House the government would clear all the farmers’ dues after selling the property of the defaulted sugar mills.

During the Question Hours, Auqaf Minister Ata Manika said 86 percent budget of his department was spent on administrative expenses. He said the government should give funds to the department for better upkeep of shrines in the province.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2015

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