Daily Times

Hundreds of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz workers and MPAs staged a sit-in outside the Punjab Assembly to protest against the detention of Punjab’s opposition leader Hamza Shehbaz while urging the government to shift him to hospital as he is suffering from Covid-19 for last few days.

A large number of PML-N MPAs and workers from Punjab gathered at Mall Road just outside the Punjab Assembly and staged demonstration to protest against the detention of opposition leader in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz. They were chanting slogans ‘Free Hamza’ while also carrying placards inscribed with the anti-government slogans. Traffic at Mall Road also remained chocked for some time causing problem for the commuters.

“The PML-N didn’t resort to the politics of street agitation so far as the PTI did when they were in the opposition but we can go to every extent as we cannot compromise over the health condition of our leader,” said PML-N Punjab Information Secretary MPA Azma Bukhari, while speaking on the occasion. He is a tax-payer Pakistani citizen and it is his right to be shifted to the hospital because he is ill, she said. She was of the view that Punjab’s opposition leader isn’t being given proper facilities at Kot Lakhpat Jail despite the fact that he is very ill.

MPAs Rana Mashhood, Samiullah Khan, Malik Nadeem Kamran, Kh Imran Nazir and Malik Ahmad Khan also spoke on the occasion. They were of the view that the next sit-in would be staged outside the Chief Minister secretariat if Hamza Shehbaz isn’t shifted to hospital during 24 hours. MPA Rana Mashhood said that the PML-N will not allow the government to do politics over the health of Hamza Shehbaz. He was of the view that the government will be held responsible if any untoward incident happens with Hamza Shehbaz. “It is the worst government ever that is suppressing the opposition and political prisoners brutally,” he added.

MPA Samiullah Khan said that Hamza Shehbaz is the opposition leader of the largest House of the country where his party has 166 MPAs but still he is being denied from his basic right to get treatment in a hospital. All the cases against him are politically motivated as they were framed by the NAB-Niazi alliance, he said. He was of the view that the next protest demonstration would be huge from today if he isn’t shifted to the hospital.

A large number of PML-N workers including MPAs Zeeshan Rafique, Mian Tahir, Aunaza Fatima, Bilal Farooq Tarar, Bilal Akbar Khan, Pir Ashraf Rasool and former Deputy Mayors of Lahore were also present on the occasion. Meanwhile, PML-N Punjab core committee also met on Tuesday in which severe reservations were showed for not shifting Hamza to the hospital.

It is worth mentioning here that Hamza is detained for last 15 months while facing the NAB cases including money laundering and assets beyond means. He attends the Punjab Assembly sessions on the production orders issued by the Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi.

Earlier, the PML-N also demanded that Hamza Shehbaz be shifted to Ittefaq Hospital that is owned by the Sharif family. A formal request in this regard was made by PML-N’s deputy secretary general Attaullah Tarar on Sunday. Tarar had written a letter to Additional Chief Secretary (Home) demanding shifting of Hamza to Ittefaq Hospital as he has contracted the COVID-19 just recently. According to the letter written to the Punjab government that is also available with Daily Times, Hamza’s physician Dr Rizwan Akhtar is based at Ittefaq Hospital and all record of his medical history is with Dr Rizwan. The request of PML-N wasn’t entertained by the Punjab government as it refused to shift him to the Ittefaq Hospital while also constituting a three-member board consisting of government’s own doctors to examine him. Punjab Information Minister Feyyaz Chohan said that it is illegal to shift Hamza Shehbaz to Ittefaq Hospital.