By Kashif Hussain LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly on the occasion of its first sitting of the current session on Wednesday suspended its scheduled agenda for the day and adopted a unanimous resolution from the treasury as well the opposition to pay tribute to the late provincial minister Shuja Khanzada martyred in a terror attack on August 16. The session started about two hours late from its scheduled time under the chair of Acting Speaker Sardar Sher Ali Gorchani. Soon after the recitation of the Holy Quran and Naat, fateha was offered for the departed souls of martyred minister Khanzada, MPA Chaudhry Shamshad and Kaneez Fatima separately. Meanwhile, newly elected member of the provincial assembly from PP-100 Kamoki constituency, Chaudhry Rana Akhtar Ali Khan – who is also a brother of assassinated MPA Chaudhry Shamshad and has won election on the ticket of ruling PML-N – took the oath. Soon after, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan moved a motion to suspend the day’s agenda, which was adopted, and then he moved a resolution in which he paid rich tribute to Khanzada Shaheed terming his death a national tragedy. The resolution stated that that the martyrdom of Khanzada would not go waste. It added that he was a brave man belonging to a respectful family of Attock District. He got commission in Pak Army in 1967 and was elected member of the Punjab Assembly three times since 2002. It further said that he was serving the nation actively against the wave of terrorism in the country. In the resolution, an assurance to the political and military leadership is also given by the House that they will continue supporting war against terrorism. Deep grief and sorrow for the families of the martyrs and sympathies to the injured people are also expressed in the resolution. No one opposed the resolution. Later, the chair opened the house for speeches by the members individually to pay tribute to the martyred soul of Khanzada, in which some provincial ministers including Rana Sanaullah Khan, Khalil Tahir Sindhu and Chaudhry Iqbal Channar; Opposition Leader Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed; PPP’s parliamentary leader Qazi Ahmad Saeed; PTI’s Mian Aslam Iqbal and Sadia Sohail; and treasury members Mian Rafiq, Tariq Gill, Waheed Gull, Ghiasuddin and others participated. Mostly the members suggested the government to announce highest civil award and rename a building or a road in the name of the late Khanzada while a demand to fix a photo of the martyred minister in the assembly building was also made by several legislators. Some of the colleagues of the martyred minister also suggested the government to give handsome amount ranging between Rs 20 million to Rs 40 million to the widow and children of the martyr. Anyhow, following such demands and suggestions, Acting Speaker Sardar Sher Ali Gorchani ensured the house that the photo of Khanzada would be fixed in the assembly building within a day while Law Minister Rana Sanaullah told the house in his speech that the Punjab Cabinet had already recommended the award of highest civil award – Tamgha-e-Shujaat – for the martyred minister. He further informed that his government would give as much as possible privileges to the widow of Khanzada and an institute would also be renamed in his name in Punjab. It is pertinent to mention here that some nine ordinances for treating as bills were on the Wednesday’s agenda but due to its suspension, hopefully, all such bills would be presented before the house in today’s (Thursday) session.