LAHORE, Nov 4 Punjab Assembly rules of procedure allow members to raise questions on behalf of their absent colleagues. There are also numerous examples of issuing press statements on behalf of party MPs and other leaders although the persons concerned may not be even aware of the issue and the comments attributed to them in this regard. But distributing libelous letter in the name of MPs by party leaders is an act quite unheard of.

That's what happened in the case of an “open letter” to the chief justice of Pakistan, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and editors of national dailies dispatched on behalf of Pakistan Muslim League-Q MPA and party's human rights wing in charge Ayesha Javed which contained some land-grabbing allegations against provincial law minister Rana Sanaullah Khan.

Mrs Javed disowned the undated letter in the house, saying 'someone' used her letterhead without her knowledge and permission to write the letter.The minister thanked the MPA saying he knew that who wrote the letter and where. Interestingly, none of the MPAs sitting there bothered to know the name of the author of the letter.

However, Mrs Javed in a communiqué, a copy of which was available with Dawn, written to an acquaintance said the party and not she was behind this act.“The party is doing this on my behalf. I don't want to indulge in mudslinging game. Nobody is perfect here. In fact, I'm annoyed with them (party) over this. They are using my name and my human rights activities to settle their own score.”

Terming the act Gujrat-style politics, Rana Sana told Dawn that Mrs Javed had also met and told him that the party (Q-League) leadership had dispatched the letters and asked her to own the same.

Asked if he would take legal action against the person(s) involved, he said he would first wait for the PML-Q leadership to admit their fault and tender an apology.

Mrs Javed was not taking calls on her cell phone while phones of PML-Q parliamentary leader in Punjab Assembly and provincial general secretary Chaudhry Zaheeruddin were switched off.