LAHORE, Aug 1: The minority members of the Punjab Assembly staged a walkout here on Friday to protest against the government failure to arrest the killers of a bishop of Renala Khurd.

They were brought back by a treasury bench team headed by Excise Minister Dr Shafique but they remained dissatisfied with the assurances given by Law Minister Raja Basharat regarding the arrest of the real killers of Father George Abraham killed on July 5.

The issue was raised on a point of order by Minority MPA Mrs Najmi Saleem who said the IGP had promised the arrest of the nominated killer, a woman, and her accomplices within 48 hours of the murder but the needful had not been done so far.

Deputy Speaker Sardar Shaukat Mazari, who was in the chair, rescued the law minister by asking the opposition members to discuss the issue with him in his chambers because he might not be willing to reveal certain secrets in the House.

Before the walkout, Mrs Saleem had blamed the chief minister and the law minister for not taking interest in the case and showing solidarity with the Christian community of the area.

She said minorities in the country were unsafe and there was no security arrangement for their places of worship. She alleged that the government had failed to check religious terrorism.

The law minister said a delegation of the minority MPs had met the chief minister two days ago and discussed the issue with him. It had also met him and following that he sought a report from the Okara police according to which the real culprits would soon be arrested.

He said only a woman had been nominated in the FIR as the main accused whereas more people were involved in the incident. The law minister apprehended that some of the accused might have escaped from the country, assuring that they all would be arrested and awarded due punishment.

Mr Basharat said it was wrong to say that the government had failed to check sectarian killings. The fact was that there had been a marked decrease in such incidents.

Minority MPA Pervaiz Rafique said instead of arresting the nominated accused, police were subjecting two Christians to torture without any reason. He demanded transfer of the police officials concerned and immediate arrest of the accused woman.

On an objection by the MPA, the law minister said the government had not constituted any committee to look into the issue and the woman could be interrogated without a formal arrest.