Punjab PA backs Kashmir freedom struggle

Assembly prorogued for budget session 

LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly was prorogued on Monday after adopting a resolution supporting the freedom struggle by the Kashmiri Muslims against the occupant Indian Army which had been committing atrocities on the unarmed Kashmiris to crush their freedom movement.

The assembly session is likely to be summoned again on June 2 later this week for presenting the provincial budget for the fiscal year 2017-18. Tabling a resolution and speaking after its adaptation, Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed demanded removal of the chairman Kashmir Committee of parliament who, he said, had badly failed in highlighting the Kashmir cause and mustering support for the innocent Kashmiris struggling against the 800,000 Indian Army officials deployed to crush their freedom movement in the valley. ‘He said despite that a huge sum of Rs2 billion from the public exchequer had been doled out for the Kashmir Committee yet its performance had been practically naught and it was as good as non-existent.

The resolution demanded the government to make the all-out effort to represent the Kashmiri people on the world fora and take the case to the UNO and OIC and other platforms to stop the Indian atrocities on the innocent Kashmiri women and youths.

Earlier, replying to queries, Punjab Agriculture Minister Naeem Bhabha told the House that the government had stopped giving subsidy to the growers on the Green Tractor Scheme and the subsidy was only being given on agricultural equipment.

The questioner, Mian Tariq, asked if the tractor was not included in agricultural equipment or if the government was oblivious to the situation of growers running from pillar to post to obtain tractors with money in their hands.

The minister replied that since the government had stopped subsidy on tractors; therefore, no facilitation could be provided to such growers. The questioner asked if it was the service to the agriculture sector the government had been claiming for the last four years. But the minister remained clueless about reply on that question.

The provincial minister Khalil Tahir Sindhu drew the House’s attention towards a social media message sent anonymously to him accusing him of trying to sell church properties with the help of the government. He denied such an impression and said the message was aimed at creating a wedge between the government and the church custodians.  He said the government had already banned the sale of church properties.