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Opposition threatens to protest against bureaucracy
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PML-N to table anti-NAB resolution
LAHORE: The promotion of former Lahore Development Authority (LDA) director general (DG) Ahad Cheema to grade 20 created a pandemonium in the Punjab Assembly (PA) on Friday as opposition parties staged a symbolic walkout from the House.
During the proceedings of the provincial assembly on Friday, Dr Nausheen Hamid of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on a point of order severely criticised Cheema’s promotion to grade 20 the day after he was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
As she started delivering her speech, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Rana Arshad alongside some female party members started raising anti-opposition slogans and accused opposition benches of being against the development process in the province.
The speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal didn’t allow Dr Nausheen to speak further who along with other opposition members then staged a walkout from the assembly.
OPPOSITION THREATENS TO PROTEST AGAINST BUREAUCRACY
Later, the joint opposition gathered at the stairs of the assembly raising slogans against the Sharif family and Ahad Cheema and declared Cheema as the front-man of Chief Minister Punjab Shehbaz Sharif.
According to the opposition, the CM and Ahad Cheema were involved in scams worth billions of rupees. The protest was led by Mian Aslam Iqbal and included Asif Mahmood, Dr Nausheen, Shunila Ruth and Nabeela Hakim Ali of PTI, Faiza Malik and Sardar Shahabud Din of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Ahmad Shah Khagga and Khadija Umar of Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q).
“The Punjab Chief Secretary is inciting the bureaucracy against NAB and some bureaucrats are on strike over the arrest of Ahad Cheema,” Mian Aslam Iqbal said, adding that the opposition will stage a protest outside Punjab Civil Secretariat against the conduct of bureaucrats if they did not call off their strike by tomorrow.
He was also of the view that the opposition should once again raise the issue of Ahad Cheema’s promotion in the session on Monday.
PML-N TO TABLE ANTI-NAB RESOLUTION
Meanwhile, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rana Sanaullah stated that the lawmakers on the treasury benches were planning to bring a resolution in the Punjab Assembly to condemn the role of NAB in Ahad Cheema’s arrest.
He stated that NAB was maligning the civil officers from Punjab by arresting them.
“Ahad Cheema was doing public service, he was involved in projects that were meant to eradicate load shedding from the country,” Rana Sanaullah stated.
He further added that the speeches of NAB chairman were creating chaos among honest and devoted officers of Punjab’s bureaucracy. “There is only one politics of PML-N and that is plus Nawaz Sharif and the future of Pakistan is also linked with the politics of plus Nawaz only,” he asserted.
