PPPP walks out from PA after motion disposed of

Staff Report

LAHORE: Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) members walked out of the Punjab Assembly on Monday after the chair disposed of their adjournment motion against a leading land developers group.

Rana Aftab Ahmad Khan, PPPP deputy parliamentary leader, and Samiullah Khan, PPPP Lahore general secretary, had moved the motion three months ago. It said that a land developers group had introduced a residential scheme in Lahore showing possession of 2,900 kanals of land, though the group had only 650 kanals.

Sardar Shaukat Mazari, deputy speaker, had kept the motion pending for three months. On Monday, Raja Basharat, Punjab law minister, told the house that the government, under Section 4 of the 1894 Act, had stopped the developer from acquiring public land. Rai Ejaz, chairing Monday’s proceedings, considered the explanation adequate and disposed of the motion.

In response, Khan raised a point of order and said that the matter was being hushed up, as legislators belonging to the government were involved. He alleged that the group was forcing locals to sell land at Rs 200,000 per acre, while it was worth millions of rupees.

He also said that the developer, though only possessing 650 kanals, had sold more than a thousand files. “Most of those who bought the files will not get possession of land. It is sheer fraud and the government should protect citizens from this deception,” said Khan.

Ejaz stuck to his decision, after which Khan said that the government was protecting people who are cheating innocent citizens.

He said that the PPPP, when in power, would hold the developers accountable. He complained about the attitude of some of the treasury members, including a parliamentary secretary, Muhammad Ahmad Khan, who had supported his motion earlier but was now silent. The secretary responded that he had not changed his stance and still believed that the government should take action against the developer. When the chair pointed out that the motion was disposed, the PPPP members walked out.

Meanwhile, the chair referred privilege motions from Sagheera Islam and Samina Naveed of the PPPP to Basharat and the privileges committee of the house respectively.

Islam said that a police team, led by the Sheikhupura ASP, had entered her house without a warrant and arrested her nephews, son-in-law and other relatives.

Basharat asked Islam for details of the incident, after which the Crime Branch of the police would conduct an inquiry.

Naveed said that she had gone to the Orthoepedic Ward of Jinnah Hospital on February 24 for treatment of her foot but the doctor on duty refused to treat her. “When I introduced myself to him and told him that I was in serious pain, he replied that he did not care even if I was a legislator,” said Naveed. She said that she had returned home without receiving treatment.

Farzana Nazir, parliamentary secretary for health, said that the department would take strict action against the doctor.

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