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Attack on Sheikh Rashid

Posted on: Tue February 09, 2010

LAHORE: Opposition benches in the Punjab Assembly staged a brief boycott of the proceedings to protest against the attack on Sheikh Rashid.

Opposition leader in Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Zaheer condemned the attack on Sheikh Rashid. He alleged that the PML-Q candidate in Rawalpindi was being threatened. He claimed that the provincial government was not sincere in holding elections but Shaikh Rashid had managed to hold election with the help of the court. He claimed that the PML-N was afraid that it would loose this seat as it had already lost the Mansehra by-poll. The provincial government, he said, had been insisting on delaying elections for the last two years on the pretext of the poor law and order situation.

He claimed that PML-N Quaid Mian Nawaz Sharif withdrew his candidature after the Election Commission announced a schedule for election. This reflected that Nawaz was not sincere in contesting polls and he also wanted to keep this seat vacant, he added. He said they had reservations over intentions of the provincial government which was pressing for postponement of polls.

The opposition leader after delivering a brief speech walked out of the house in protest. He was followed by rest of the opposition members. The Punjab Assembly speaker constituted a committee consisting of Kamran Michael, Hasan Murtaza and Malik Nadeem Kamran to persuade oppositions members into returning to the House.

Law Minister Rana Sanaullah defended the provincial government, saying the government was holding an initial investigation and he could not make any comment on the issue of attack on Shaikh Rashid. He claimed that terrorists were targeting important cities of Pakistan such as Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi and that was why the provincial government had decided to abandon the by-polls. He said the opposition must not make it a political issue just for point scoring. He urged the opposition to help the government fight against terrorism instead of indulging in point scoring.

Courtesy : The News