LAHORE, Jan 9: A treasury member in the Punjab Assembly embarrassed the law minister on Friday when he admitted that the chief minister's secretary was issuing notices to those government MPAs who were not attending the session.

"I have been issued a notice to explain as to why I did not attend the session on Thursday despite my presence in the house. This has breached my privilege," Col Surkharoo Awan (retired) said, giving a sense of victory to the opposition which had been silenced by Law Minister Raja Basharat minutes ago with the claim that no-one was marking the attendance of the members.

On Thursday, another treasury member, Brig Javed Akhtar (retired), had embarrassed Livestock Minister Haroon Sultan by confirming the opposition stand that his department had been fully devolved to the district governments, leaving nothing for him to deal with at the provincial level.

It was MMA's Arshad Baggu who had raised the issue of the show-cause notices soon after the beginning of the session. He said the matter had been reported by a section of the Press, and the notices by the secretary had breached the privilege of the house which the speaker must take note of.

"Those not attending the session could be warned by the parliamentary party. But the secretary is acting like a policeman to regulate the house," Mr Baggu said.

The law minister rejected the newspaper reports and said these were based on some misunderstanding. "Making members to attend the session is the internal affair of the parliamentary party," he said.

Rana Sanaullah said the minister could reject the newspaper reports but everybody knew that a policeman deputed by the government was ensuring quorum in the house.

Following his remark, the issue was settled but it was Col Awan who entered the House and embarrassed the law minister, making everyone to laugh. He continued to record his anger despite angry looks and gestures by the law minister and other cabinet colleagues. Even the treasury members who were forcing Mr Awan to sit down by pulling his arms could not stop him.

This prompted Rana Sanaullah Khan to urge the speaker to refer the issue to the privileges committee for action. Mr Baggu who took a sigh of relief said: "Thank God some of the treasury members have revealed the truth at last."

The law minister said he had not made a wrong statement. "I had said that it is the internal affair of our parliamentary party which we ourselves will resolve. No such notice has been issued to any opposition member. An issue can be considered only after an aggrieved member files a privilege motion," he said.

Rana Sanaullah said the speaker must send the matter to the privileges committee as the member had complained of the notice in the House. "Mr G M Quorum (Secretary G M Sikandar) must be asked why he was issuing notices," he said.

The speaker followed the law minister and said he would refer the matter to the privileges committee only when a member moved a privilege motion.

Earlier, the house offered fateha for those killed after a bus fell in a canal in Bhakkar on Thursday when MMA's Dr Waseem Afzal drew members' attention towards the tragedy. He said the government must punish the official who had checked roadworthiness of the bus to prevent others from issuing fitness certificates to rickety vehicles in the province.

A treasury member from Bhakkar regretted that no government agency had helped in recovering the dead from the canal. The irrigation department had released water in the canal which should be stopped to make it possible to retrieve the missing bodies.

Irrigation Minister Amer Sultan Cheema said he had already ordered closure of the canal and sent the department secretary to the place. The chief minister and the area minister, too, were going there, he said.

The law minister said the local administration was already providing all the needed assistance at the scene and the families of the victims would be extended full financial assistance.

Responding to a point raised by PPP's Faiza Malik, minister (without portfolio) Aleem Khan promised deterrent punishment to a man of Township who had raped a seven-year old girl. "He has been arrested and the chief minister has already assured stern action against him," he informed the member.

Earlier, Deputy Speaker Sardar Shaukat Mazari disallowed an adjournment motion by PPP's Samiullah Khan who wanted debate on the reported corruption of traffic police and their lack of interest in controlling road accidents and traffic. Mr Mazari said the matter was too trivial to be discussed in the house.

In response to another adjournment motion by Mr Arshad Baggu about the killing of a boy as a result of a clash between transporters and students of Pakpattan, the law minister said the issue had been settled after the registration of a case against the culprits.

He admitted that students and transporters used to clash in the province. This was so because of the lack of transport facilities for a large number of students.

He promised that the government would cooperate with the transporters willing to run special buses for students. The session was adjourned till Monday before the law minister presented The University of Gujrat Bill, 2003, for adoption. It was opposed by the opposition but debate for and against it was deferred till the next sitting.