It seems our politicians and so-called representatives are not even interested in serious and real issues of the public. Countless lives have been lost at the hands of extremism and yet, the lawmakers are terming the tragedy as a ‘rumour’. Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Sardar Sher Ali Gorchani on Friday dismissed MPA Shunila Ruth’s appeal in Patras and cousin Sajid Masih’s case, terming it as a ‘newspaper report’. Addressing an assembly session, Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) Shunila Ruth brought into light the case of Patras Masih, who has been accused of blasphemy and that of his cousin Sajid Masih, who was wounded after he allegedly jumped off the FIA building’s fourth floor. Ruth alleged the authorities of ‘torturing and threatening’ Sajid, while she also alleged FIA officials of forcing him to ‘sexually assault’ Patras, in the wake of which he jumped off the building. “Sajid Masih was tortured and threatened by the authorities and was afterwards taken to the building’s fourth floor and you can read all that happened there in the newspapers,” she said. Interrupting Shunila during her address, the deputy speaker criticised her for ‘trusting a newspaper report’. He added that leveling accusations against the country’s institutions is ‘inappropriate’ and asked the MPA to refrain from doing so. It is the duty of these parliamentarians to investigate reports of such gross human violations instead of escaping from their responsibilities by simply calling them rumour. There are substantial proofs that the incident did in fact take place. UMAR HUSSAIN Sialkot Published in Daily Times, March 3rd 2018.