Members of the provincial assembly (MPAs) belonging to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) vowed to take strict action against the bureaucracy for violating the sanctity of elected representatives of the House.
In the very first session of the Punjab Assembly after PTI’s landslide victory in by-polls, the lawmakers said that both the Punjab Police inspector general (IG) and the chief secretary would be held accountable for their actions, as the PTI is all set to form its government in Punjab again.
The session was chaired by Speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, who is also the running for the coveted office of the chief minister, election for which is scheduled for July 22. All the MPAs of the PTI were unanimous in demanding punishment to the officers of Punjab government for torturing political workers and lawmakers.
“More than 600 police officials entered the House on April 16 on the direction of the IG and the chief secretary and they violated the sanctity of this august House. We all know them and we must teach them a lesson after coming into power again,” former minister and Elahi’s close aide Ch Zaheeruddin said. The lawmakers also paid rich tribute to PTI Chairman Imran Khan for emphatic victory in the by-polls and said that Punjab would progress under the leadership of Parvez Elahi.
Former minister for law and deputy opposition leader Raja Basharat said that Hamza Shehbaz had lost moral value to remain the CM anymore and he must resign immediately. He also warned the bureaucracy not to follow any order of Hamza from now pm; otherwise strict action would be taken against them. He added that the bureaucracy didn’t come in Monday’s session in the House and they should keep in mind that they were the servant of the state and not personal servant of anyone.
Former minister Samiullah Chaudhry said the public had rejected the ‘lotas’ (turncoats) in the by-polls and that Imran Khan was currently the most popular leader of Pakistan. “We’ll keep asking questions from the ‘neutrals’ and from those who were brought in by the ‘neutrals’,” he said.
MPA Sadia Sohail Rana said that the police and the bureaucracy should not be spared for their actions of last three months. The lawmakers said that Parvez Elahi must summon both the IG and the CS in the House the day when he takes oath as the CM.
Earlier, a joint meeting of the PTI and the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) was held under the chairmanship of Elahi, in which tributes were paid to Imran Khan for the success in the by-elections. “It is the biggest surprise of Imran Khan after Bhutto in the history of politics. “The election results are a victory of Imran Khan’s narrative and the truth won in the elections,” Elahi said. He further said that Imran Khan conveyed his message to the people by running a vigorous election campaign and people responded to the PTI chief’s call while rejecting those who changed their loyalties. He was of the view that the way the police were used indiscriminately in the by-elections was unprecedented, but the PTI, its MPAs and workers did not care about their lives and played their role in the election. “The law will take its course against those who have taken illegal actions,” he said. After getting a majority in the House, Elahi is comfortable with the support of 189 MPAs against Hamza Shehbaz, who has the support of 178 lawmakers.
