LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Information and Culture Fayyazul Hassan Chohan on Friday said the Punjab Assembly had never been discredited as the opposition did by thrashing the assembly staff and ransacking the house during a budget session on October 16.
“It [October 16] was one of the worst days in the history of the house as the Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) members introduced a new tradition of force and violence,” Chohan said while speaking to media persons outside the provincial assembly building.
The opposition members, he added, had introduced a new but deplorable tradition by attacking the speaker, secretary and additional secretary of the assembly.
“The PML-N MPAs clearly know what they have done. That’s why they are avoiding to attend the assembly session and appear before the inquiry committee,” he said while referring to PML-N’s refusal to attend the business advisory committee meetings.
“I, as the Punjab government spokesperson, have been trying to persuade the PML-N members to join the committee, which is a legal binding for them, for six consecutive days but to no avail”, he maintained.
To a question, the minister said PML-N was engaged in a futile exercise aimed at tarnishing the image of Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi. “However, the fact is that the speaker controlled the pandemonium caused by the opposition members with patience and wisdom on October 16,” he added.
Chohan said that both Shehbaz Sharif and Hamza Shehbaz were “not ready” to accept Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi as the new provincial assembly speaker.
“We, on the other hand, have not only recognised corrupt and dishonest persons like Shehbaz and Hamza as opposition leaders but are giving them respect as well”
“The two should accept the reality as soon as possible,” he said.
