Daily Times

LAHORE: Answering a ‘calling attention notice’ in the Punjab Assembly on Monday, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said that the challan in the Zainab case would be submitted within two weeks.

The notice had been filed by Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). He had urged the government to provide all details of the case. Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said that the case was sub judice and did not talk in detail about the investigation. He also refused to confirm the claims made by an anchorperson, saying that the information was unverified.

The law minister said that police had carried out DNA tests of people living in 19 census blocs in Kasur. “Imran was arrested after his DNA matched the samples found on the victim,” he said.

He assured the House that the policemen who had killed Mudassar and his friend in a fake encounter had already been arrested. “If the double murder is proved against them, they would be punished according to the law,” he said.

To a question about the deaths of two protesters in Kasur, Rana Sanaullah said that in his opinion, there was no need to open fire on the mob as the protest could have been handled without it. “Anyhow, both the policemen who opened fire on the mob belonged to the Kasur DCO’s squad. A challan is also being filed in court in the case,” he said.

To a question about the alleged abuse of 250 boys in Kasur district, the law minister said that there were not 250 children who had been abused, but the correct figure was just 19. “All the accused persons involved in the matter have already been arrested and their trial is continuing in an anti-terrorist court,” he said.

When the opposition leader and other colleagues contested the law minister’s claim, Rana Sanaullah said that opposition should not try to politicize the Zainab case by criticizing the Punjab government.

“You should first resolve the Aasma’s case of Mardan. In Kohat, the PTI’s district leader’s nephew is involved to humiliating a girl student,” he said.

The opposition asked the speaker to stop the law minister from mixing the Zainab case with other issues. The session, however, was adjourned due to a lack of quorum.

The Punjab Assembly session started three hours and 51 minutes late from its scheduled time. The session was presided over by Speaker Rana Iqbal.

Provincial Minister for Environmental Protection Zakia Shahnawaz and Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Nawaz Chohan answered questions in the question hour.

Chohan confirmed that the Orange Line Metro Train (OMT) project would be completed in November. “More than 0.1 million people would be facilitated by it on a daily basis. The government is using Rs 32 billion from the local funds on the OLMT project. Funds of $1.6 billion are being spent from foreign loans,” he said.

The opposition, however, expressed dissatisfaction over the answer. The speaker kept the question pending.

Chohan also could not answer a question related to the total government subsidy being provided by the government in the Metro Bus Service (MBS) in Rawalpindi. He said that if he had a calculator, he would have provided the correct answer.

Five members of the Punjab Assembly, who had not filed their tax returns in the Election Commission of Pakistan, remain suspended. Three of them belong to the ruling party and two are from the PTI. Their names are: Jamal Leghari, Sajjad Joiya, Sumaira Sami, Abdul Majeed Niazi and Masood Shafqat.

Sultan Haider, the newly-elected MPA from PP-20 Chakwal, also took oath of his office in the session.

Published in Daily Times, January 30^th 2018.