40
LAHORE: In what appears to be another example of authorities refusing preferential treatment for the influential, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Member of the National Assembly Muhammad Afzal Khokhar was fined Rs500 on Thursday for overspeeding on Lahore’s Canal road.
Warden Rao Abrar fined Khokhar after he exceeded the speed limit of 60kms.
Khokhar had won NA-128 National Assembly seat from Lahore in the 2013 election by securing 98,491 votes. His Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) competitor Malik Karamat Ali Khokhar had managed 57,020 votes.
In a country where the influential and society elite often get away with violating laws, incidents where 'VIPs' — in this case, a sitting MNA from the ruling party — are brought to book receive exceptional attention in the news and on social media.
On Tuesday, Pakistan Peoples Senator (PPP) and former interior minister Rehman Malik and PML-N MNA Dr Ramesh Kumar Wakwani sparked outrage over the delay of PIA's flight PK-370, which irate passengers said was an example of 'VIP culture' that allows influential people to call in favours. The two were accused of holding the plane back while other passengers waited for hour.
Also read: Passengers expel Rehman Malik, PML-N MNA from flight over delay
The incident — which was filmed and uploaded to video-sharing site Dailymotion — created a storm on Twitter and Facebook, with users applauding the passengers of PK-370 for successfully barring the lawmakers from boarding the aircraft.
