PML-N will have to pay for hooliganism, says Chohan

LAHORE: Punjab Information and Culture Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan has condemned hooliganism by the opposition members during the provincial assembly session on Friday. Addressing the Punjab Assembly and later talking to the media, he said Friday’s ruckus exposed the PML-N s real face before the masses that was absolutely undemocratic.

They would have to pay for that. The people of Punjab now realized that the opposition, mainly the PML-N, had nothing to do with democratic institutions and the parliamentary politics, he added. Today’s conduct of PML-N members destroyed the sacredness of the House.

He observed that Tuesday would be considered as the most condemnable day in the history of the Punjab Assembly. He said the opposition legislators led by Hamza Shahbaz on Tuesday had tried to attack the Secretary Punjab Assembly, gathered around the speaker, hurt the deputy secretary, additional deputy secretary and damaged the state property which is highly shameful.

According to an estimate, the PML-N damaged approximately Rs 0.9million state property including furniture, mikes and speakers. He criticized Hamza for his support to his men. Terming his hue and cry over the ongoing accountability process understandable, the minister said they had come to know that they would not be spared this time.

“I just want to remind Hamza Shahbaz about his own words that we should respect the vote. He must abide by his own words,” he maintained. The investigation agencies, he added, were working independently and exposing the faces of corrupt elements across the board.

Chohan denounced the opposition’s propaganda on the issue of poet Habib Jalib’s daughter. He said the opposition’s propaganda was baseless. The stipend of Jalib’s daughter was in fact seized by Hamza Shahbaz after the death of the poet’s widow during PML-N’s own regime. He made it clear that the provincial government was ready to reinstate the stipend on humanitarian grounds whenever “we receive any such request”.