LAHORE: Denying torture of Speaker Parvez Elahi during the election of the chief minister on Saturday, the PML-N announced to proceed against all those involved in the mayhem on the basis of the video evidence.

Speaking at a press conference along with Ataullah Tarar and others on Sunday, PML-N leader Rana Mashhood wondered how a fractured arm of Mr Elahi got fixed within minutes, a reference to the movement of the injured arm by the speaker in the media talk soon after the reported attack. He alleged that Mr Elahi had rather attempted to occupy the assembly hall through his ‘personal goons’ attired in assembly staff uniform. He said the video evidence of Saturday’s proceedings had been secured and all those guilty of torture and misbehaviour would be taken to task.

Mr Mashhood regretted that the PTI had created hurdles to the smooth transition of power in contrast to the PML-N which had acted gracefully when the latter’s mandate was snatched in Balochistan and in the Senate.

The PML-N leader said Mr Elahi wanted to stick to power at all costs as the speaker and even got his supporters to attack the deputy speaker. He said Deputy Speaker Dost Mazari had to call in the police because he was attacked by the goons of the PTI and PML-Q. He added that an attempt had been made to murder the deputy speaker.

Mashhood claimed that video footage clearly showed that Mr Elahi was provoking his supporters to target (the deputy speaker and opposition MPAs). He alleged that goons from Gujrat had been called by the speaker and brought into the assembly chambers under the direct supervision of Parvez Elahi.

Published in Dawn, April 18th, 2022