THE Punjab Assembly on Friday unanimously passed three separate resolutions, including the one against blasphemous US movie, in which strict possible action was demanded against those responsible for its production and release.

In the other two separate resolutions, the assembly members expressed profound grief and sorrow over the deaths caused by fire incidents in Lahore and Karachi factories. The session was prorogued due to lack of quorum.

Deputy Speaker Rana Mashhood chaired the Friday’s session which was convened on the requisition of joint opposition. Earlier, the members offered prayers for the departed souls in the fire incidents on the request of Ch Zaheer.

PML-Q parliamentary leader Ch Zaheer moved the first resolution, condemning the desecration of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) in the US movie and demanded strict action against those who had produced and released the same.

It was stated in the resolution that the motion film was in total contrast with the claims of the civilized world regarding respect to the religious sentiments of others and for creating religious harmony. The resolution termed the movie a conspiracy which provoked the Muslims in the series which had blasphemous pictures from Denmark, sacrilegious material, etc. as its part. The House held that the repeated acts by the West to disrespect and malign Islam were a clear conspiracy and called upon the government of Pakistan to raise the issue before the United Nations so that at the international level effective steps could be taken to prevent the acts which injured religious feelings of others.

The second resolution expressed sorrow and grief over the heavy death toll in fires in a garments factory in Karachi and in a shoe factory in Lahore on the same day.

The House expressed sympathies with bereaved families and prayed for the departed souls.

Sometime after the sessions started, the Opposition also staged a walkout to express solidarity with the journalists who were protesting outside to press their demands for residential plots for the new members of the Lahore Press Club and completing the development work in the Journalists’ Colony.

The media persons staged a boycott of the session, held protest at the stairs of the Punjab Assembly building and the Opposition expressed solidarity with them. A team of assembly members met the journalists and brought them back to the business.

Law Minister Rana Sanaulllah assured the journalists of their meeting with the CM within three days. At this, the journalists postponed the protest till Monday and came back to the assembly session.

As the House proceeded with questions on the agenda, Treasury member Asghar Munda pointed out quorum which was found short of the required strength. After waiting for 15 minutes when the quorum remained incomplete the chair prorogued the session for an indefinite period.

Nawaz: PML-N President Nawaz Sharif has said that the profane film which presents a distorted view of Islam is a highly deplorable and provocative step.

In a statement on Friday, he said the despicable film was not only heart-wrenching for the Muslims but was a great setback to the humanism which believed in peace, goodwill and mutual respect. He said that not only Islam, but all the religions of the world, taught lesson of respecting religious personalities and sacred signs. He said the fundamental teachings of Islam and the Holy Prophet (PBUH) were based on brotherhood and tolerance.

Nawaz hoped that all the nations believing in humanism, peace and mutual goodwill would strongly discourage nefarious acts, which injured the feelings of others or helped promote extremism.