Daily Times

LAHORE: Opposition parties in the Punjab Assembly Friday strongly protested against the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government for promoting arrested bureaucrat Ahad Cheema, who is facing corruption charges, to grade-20.

Punjab Assembly session started 49 minutes late to its scheduled time at 9am with Speaker Rana Iqbal in the chair. The proceeding of the assembly continued almost one hour but no minister could join it unfortunately.

While Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah and Minister for Mines and Minerals Chaudhry Sher Ali Khan did not join the proceedings and preferred to stay outside among journalists.

The House adopted question hour in the absence of any minister. Opposition legislator belonging to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Dr Noshin Hamid stood on a point of order and expressed regret over the sudden promotion of former Lahore Development Authority director general Ahad Cheema, who had been arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) over corruption charges.

She strongly criticised and condemned the act of the Nawaz-league government, promoting a “corrupt officer” knowingly that he was an accused of corruption worth Rs 14 billion in Ashiana Housing scheme scan

Dr Murad Rass of the PTI also stood on his bench and said that ruling party’s leadership was a Sicilian Mafia having nexus with the corrupt bureaucracy.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) legislators Faiza Malik and Sardar Shahbuddin also supported the stance of their colleagues from PTI, saying that the act of the government was highly regrettable.

On this occasion, some treasury members, especially chief whip of the parliamentary party of PML-N Rana Arshad and some females started shouting, saying that opposition wanted to use bureaucracy according to their wishes.

Anyhow, the speaker calmed down the situation and said that the matter of promotion of Ahad Cheema was a federal subject and then he muted the mike of Dr Noshin Haimd and also didn’t allow Faiza Malik to speak on the issue.

Due to lack of interest of the treasury members and ministers, opposition members pointed out quorum and the session was adjourned till Monday evening.

It might be mentioned that two days after the arrest of the former director general of Lahore Development Authority (LDA), Ahad Cheema, by the anti-graft bureau of the country, the Establishment Division has promoted him to grade-20 with an immediate effect.

According to a notification issued on Thursday, the officer would remain at the disposal of the Punjab government until further orders.

Published in Daily Times, February  24^th 2018.