ISLAMABAD, August 22 2006: The opposition in the National Assembly filed a privilege motion against Minister of State for Law Akram Bhindar on Monday (Aug 21) for giving a ‘false statement’ on a female journalist’s arrest in Layyah.
The opposition criticised the minister for the wrong statement and asked the National Assembly speaker to warn him. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sher Afgan Niazi opposed the motion on technical grounds. The speaker decided to hold talks with opposition and treasury members in this regard before referring the motion, which was supported by all opposition parties and filed by Liaqat Baloch and Chaudhry Manzoor, to the committee concerned.
According to the privilege motion, the minister’s statement on journalist Kalsoom Khalid was erroneous. The state minister had said that the female journalist was not carrying a security pass during a ceremony attended by the chief minister. Opposition members in the National Assembly attached a copy of the journalist’s security pass with the privilege motion.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Sher Afgan Niazi said that it was a provincial matter and could not be discussed in the National Assembly. If the speaker wanted to send the motion to the committee concerned as a gesture of goodwill, he could do so, he added.
The National Assembly speaker said that the matter could be resolved in his chamber.
Hafiz Hussain Ahmad said that ‘wrong statements’ by ministers had become a routine matter, therefore they should be warned. He said that the government was talking about protecting women’s rights on one hand, but it had violated a female journalist’s rights on the other hand. He said that the privilege motion had to be sent to the committee.
Minister of State for Law Shahid Akram Bhindar however said that he would stand by the statement given by him earlier. The report presented in the house was provided by the Layyah district police officer, he said, adding that according to the report, the female journalist was not carrying her card during the ceremony. “We are not at fault, may be the police are,” the state minister for law added.
Source: Daily Times
Date:8/22/2006
