Protest limited only to father and son: Chohan

LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Information and Culture Fayyazul Hassan Chohan Thursday said that the so-called protest by opposition was limited only to father and the son (Shahbaz Sharif and Hamza Shahbaz).

While talking to the media outside the Punjab Assembly, he said the ongoing accountability process would meet its logical end, despite hue and cry being raised by a group of corrupt persons.

"Hamza's boycott of Assembly's proceedings is nothing more then an attempt to divert the public attention from corruption committed by his father," he added. The minister said the PTI government was speedily implementing its people-friendly agenda.

Chohan was all praise for Speaker Punjab Assembly Pervaiz Elahi, saying Hamza Shahbaz had personal clash with him. Faizan Bangash adds: Speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Parvaiz Elahi on Thursday said that former chief minister Shahbaz Sharif wasted public money due to his anti-people stance and prejudice.

Talking to the media outside the Punjab Assembly before start of the PA session, he said a special committee, constituted by the assembly, would look into the delay in completion of projects, and it would fix the responsibility on those who caused losses to the national exchequer.

He added that Shahbaz Sharif, after coming to power in 2008, destroyed the education sector and didn’t complete the projects initiated during the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) government.

Pervaiz Elahi, who served as Punjab chief minister from 2002 to 2007, said that during his government, the projects of 40 new colleges and a dental university were under way, but Shahbaz scrapped them.

Responding to a question, Pervaiz Elahi said none of the assembly members was suspended; only six who indulged in the October 16 disorder in the house, were barred from attending the proceedings.

PML-N Resolution

Hina Pervaiz Butt, a PML-N Punjab Assembly member, on Thursday submitted a resolution in the PA Secretariat demanding Imran Khan government to make public the details of Prime Minister’s visit to Saudi Arabia.

“The House must be told on what conditions, the government of Pakistan has sought loan from Saudi Arabia,” asked the PML-N legislator in the resolution.

PA session

The opposition Thursday continued its sit-in outside the PA and conducted its own assembly session. No concrete effort was made by the government to bring back the opposition angry legislators.

Besides, during the session, a committee was constituted on the instructions of the speaker to probe transparency in the projects, initiated by Shahbaz Sharif government and to find reasons why his government scrapped the projects initiated by the PML-Q.