Daily Times

Leader of the Opposition in Punjab Assembly and scion of Sharif family Hamza Shahbaz remained tight-lipped over the verdict against former military dictator Pervez Musharraf, as he avoided giving any comments for the third consecutive day.

As per the details, Hamza, who is attending the sessions of Punjab Assembly on the production orders, avoided giving any comments over the Musharraf verdict when he was asked by journalists to comment on the judgement. It is pertinent to mention here that Hamza said that he had not read the detailed judgement yet when journalists covering the Punjab Assembly asked him to comment on the situation on Thursday. Again when journalists asked him to comment on the judgement on Friday when he came to attend the session on production orders, he again avoided the questions. “The credit of Musharraf verdict goes to you as the treason case against him was initiated by the PML-N. Say anything on the judgement,” said a journalist, but Hamza didn’t answer and went to his chamber.

Meanwhile, harsh words were exchanged between the PPP’s parliamentary leader Syed Hassan Murtaza and PML-N’s MPA Hina Pervaiz Butt in the House during the session of the Punjab Assembly on Friday. When Hina Butt asked her second supplementary question during the question-hour, PPP’s lawmaker said that “this woman MPA” always has two or three questions daily on the agenda, while no other member enjoys this facility. “It seems that the assembly staff takes much interest in her,” said the PPP MPA, which provoked the PML-N lawmaker. “I submit my questions in assembly secretariat daily and you cannot talk to me this way,” she said. Former speaker and senior parliamentarian of PML-N Rana Iqbal tried to intervene and he asked his MPA to sit down but she kept on speaking against Hassan Murtaza.

Earlier, the session of Punjab Assembly started after a delay of more than one and a half an hour from its scheduled time with Chairman Mian Shafi Muhammad in the chair. Answers related to the Auqaf and Religious Affairs Department were given by Parliamentary Secretary Tamoor Ali Lali during the question hour. PML-N lawmaker Bao Akhtar said that people had established huge bungalows of over 4 kanals on the land of Mian Mir Shrine illegally. The Mian Mir Shrine has 70-kanal land and a large portion of the land had been encroached upon by the land grabbers, he said, adding that the government must take stern action against them. “We have asked the district administration in written to complete the legal requirements in this regard and stern action will be taken against the encroachers of land of Mian Mir Shrine,” said the parliamentary secretary. The quorum was pointed out by MPA Waris Kallu that government failed to meet and the chair had to adjourn the House till Monday afternoon.