ISLAMABAD, June 19: Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto has denounced barring of opposition members from attending the Punjab Assembly session as an attempt to silence them from playing their parliamentary role.

Ms Bhutto in a statement issued here Sunday said that parliament is for the accountability of the administration.

Opposition members raised questions about what she called the rampant corruption in the Punjab government. The Punjab Assembly speaker suspended membership of the opposition MPAs for 15 days on Friday and Saturday, including six PPP members, namely Farzana Raja, Uzma Bokhari, Pervez Rafiq, Ishtiaq Ahmad Mirza, Muhammad Ashraf Khan and Samiullah Khan and a PML-N member, Shaikh Ijaz Ahmad.

“It is the duty of the elected representatives to raise issues of public concern and receive answers for the same.”

Rabbani: Opposition leader in the Senate Raza Rabbani here on Sunday condemned the alleged state oppression against the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leaders and said the party’s chairperson, Benazir Bhutto, would take part in the 2007 general elections.

Speaking at a press conference, Mr Rabbani claimed that the establishment had asked the PPP to remove Ms Bhutto from the party’s leadership. It also wanted that the PPP chairperson should stay in exile till 2007 general elections and accept the 17th constitutional amendment, he said.

“The PPP said no to this undemocratic and fascist agenda that is aimed at making Pakistan a garrison state. That is why a reign of repression has now been let loose against the party,” he said.