Sahiwal incident: Shahbaz asks PM, Punjab CM to resign

ISLAMABAD: Amid Strong protest in the National Assembly during the presentation of the Amendment in the Finance Bill, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif demanded resignation of Prime minister Imran Khan and Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on the tragic incident of Sahiwal.

Just before the presentation of the amendments in the Finance Bill in the National Assembly, Shahbaz Sharif on a point of order on the Sahiwal incident said the Punjab government has made wrong statements on the issue and even did not make public the JIT report in 72 hours which they had promised. During the speech of Finance Minister Asad Umar, the opposition lodged strong protest in the National Assembly and their protest continued till the end of the speech.

The PML-N legislators were more vocal in their protest who thumped desks and continued to raise slogans of “Go Niazi Go, and “Liar Liar’.

The PPP legislators led by Syed Khursheed Shah registered their soft protest as they did not raise slogans, yet they stood with the PML-N.

Calling Imran Khan a selected prime minister, Shahbaz Sharif said he has come to the Parliament after three and half months. Recalling the statements of Prime Minister Imran Khan after the Model Town incident, Shahbaz said when the incident occurred Imran Khan sought the resignation from him and arrest of Rana Sanaullah. He recalled that the Punjab government had removed the RPO Lahore on same night and ordered judicial inquiry into the incident and even Rana Sanaullah also resigned. “Now I demand that the prime minister should also follow his own principle and tender his resignation,” he said. Responding to the opposition leader, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi slammed the opposition for derailing the session and said they had two days to discuss the Sahiwal incident. Shah Mehmood said it was a terrible tragedy for the whole nation and asked his fellow parliamentarians to stop using it for political point scoring.

The minister said a transparent inquiry was conducted into the incident through a joint investigation team. He said prompt action has been taken against the concerned police officers by removing and suspending them from their positions. The minister said an FIR has also been registered against the officers involved in the encounter and their case will be taken up by an anti-terrorism court. He said unlike the previous governments, the present government did not protect the officers who misused their powers. Qureshi said justice is everyone’s right and he could assure the House that the government will safeguard this right. “We are ready for in-camera briefings in front of the media,” he said, adding that the case will soon be heard in an ATC. “He said the government will not hide the truth from the public and will conduct a fair trial and the truth will come out,” he said. The minister said the JIT has given clean chit and declared the Khalil family innocent and they were murdered, but it has sought time for further investigation into the matter of Zeeshan. After Shah Mehmood’s speech, former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf stood up seeking the floor but the speaker did not give him the floor and asked Asad Umar to introduce the bill amending the Finance Act.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan has maintained that the government has nothing to hide in the Sahiwal tragedy and it is willing to order for constitution of judicial commission to probe the deplorable incident.

The government is prepared to pay attention to the opposition’s point of view about the tragic incident. The prime minister was talking to the members of the ruling alliance in the Parliament House before the commencement of the sitting of the House Wednesday.

He turned up in the House after staying away from five consecutive sessions of the National Assembly. Imran Khan regretted that the opposition is exploiting the incident for grinding its political axes. Imran Khan shared his feelings about the incident where parents were killed sitting beside their innocent children. He assured that the government would punish those who are responsible for the gruesome incident. He said that the opposition must refrain from hurling baseless allegations about the government since it will not help it. Well placed sources told The News that Imran Khan was upset about the Sahiwal incident and assured his party mates that the culprits will not be spared and they will be punished according to the law.

Imran Khan told the legislatures belonging to the government that he has received initial report of the JIT that has probed the incident. The government will take stern action against those were responsible for the trauma. “I have no reason to spare those who are involved in the offence.”

He said that Punjab government has been asked by him to introduce reforms in the police force so that police should follow human attitude while dealing with the people. The sources said that Imran assured the national legislatures that the government will not hesitate in taking action against those found guilty in the gory incident. The sources said that members of the National Assembly belonging to the ruling alliance agitated their grievances about the bureaucracy and their own ministers. They alleged that the ministers don’t heed to their complaints and most of the time they aren’t available to them. The members reminded that the attitude of indifference at the part of the ministers causing huge political loss to them as the people who are sick of the problems getting offended about government.

Some members also raised their voice against the conduct of their respective provincial governments and said that the provincial administration prefers to accommodate the members of the provincial assembly. The prime minister assured the members that he would attend the National Assembly more regularly and the grievances of the members would be addressed accordingly.