KP Assembly: Treasury members demand judicial probe into prisoner van attack

PESHAWAR: Members from treasury benches in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Monday termed the attack on a prisoner van in Sanjani, Islamabad as a drama on the part of the Punjab and Islamabad police and demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident.

The ruling party lawmakers sought the release of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers, including two members of the KP Assembly Malik Liaqat and Anwar Zeb Khan who were arrested by the Islamabad police during the PTI protest towards D-Chowk on October 4.

The assembly speaker issued the production order for the PTI MPAs Malik Liaqat from Upper Dir and Anwar Zeb Khan from Bajaur. The assembly session was chaired by a panel of chairmen Mian Sharafat Ali and soon after its commencement on Monday afternoon, a ruling party MPA Taj Mohmmad Tarand requested the chair to suspend the daily agenda and allow them to move a resolution in the House.

Provincial Minister for Zakat and Social Welfare Syed Qasim Ali Shah moved a resolution in the House that was passed unanimously, giving the right to the federal government for making legislation about explosive materials under Article 144 of the Constitution.

PTI MPA Ajmal Khan on a point of order said the prisoner vans, carrying PTI MPAs and workers, were attacked near Sanjani Toll Plaza and the blame was put on the relatives of the prisoners and PTI workers.

“PTI MPAs Malik Liaqat and Anwar Zeb Khan and PTI workers had appeared before a local court for bail and were being shifted to Attock Prison in the prisoner vans when the armed men attacked the van and the police re-arrested them under different criminal charges,” he said.

MPA Ajmal Khan added that charging the elected representative under false and fabricated cases was tantamount to insulting the whole provincial assembly. PTI MPA Shafiullah Khan claimed that the Punjab and Islamabad police had unleashed the worst kind of violence upon the peaceful participants of the PTI march towards Islamabad on October 4 where tear gas shells were fired at the PTI workers.

He claimed that the Punjab police had broken the windowpanes and tires of the prisoner van and the prisoners were accused of escaping from the scene and were re-arrested as per their plan.

Awami National Party MPA Arbab Usman Khan said that political party workers must be given full freedom and right to hold peaceful rallies and protest while arresting the political party workers on different pretexts would not only be against the spirit of democracy but also an unconstitutional step. He demanded the production of the detained MPAs in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly per the ruling of the provincial assembly speaker.

Provincial Minister Fazl Hakim Khan and Sunni Ittehad Council Daud Shah condemned the arrest of PTI MPAs and workers and demanded a judicial inquiry into the alleged attack on prisoner vans in Sanjani, Islamabad last Friday. The session was adjourned till 2.00 PM Tuesday.