LAHORE, January 18, 2005:The Punjab Assembly could not transact any business on January 17 as the speaker adjourned the house for January 18 morning for lack of quorum.
Immediately after recitation from the Holy Quran, all newsmen covering the proceedings staged a walkout from the Press Gallery in protest against government’s poor response to the attack on the Lahore Press Club.
Opposition leader Qasim Zia took floor on a point of order to draw the attention of the chair towards the boycott. He regretted that journalists had earlier been attacked in Faisalabad allegedly on the orders of the governor and outside the assembly building but the government did not even make public reports of inquiry committees formed to probe the incidents.
He said the law minister would give a similar assurance on this incident in the house. He announced that the opposition would also observe a token boycott of the proceedings to show solidarity with the protesting newsmen.
Deputy opposition leader Rana Sanaullah Khan said security of press was essential like that of parliament and its members. He lamented that a hefty amount of over Rs3.56 billion was spent by the provincial government for VIP security but other pillars of state had been left at the mercy of law-breakers. He said no action had been taken against those responsible for attack on the press club.
Law minister Raja Basharat also expressed his grief over the incident and declared that he would announce the steps taken by the government in this regard in the house in the presence of the journalists.
Then the speaker directed minister Rana Aftab of the PPP to go and placate journalists to return to the Press Gallery. Both of them were holding talks with the protesters when Ajasam Sharif of the PML-N pointed out lack of quorum.
The chair ordered counting and after finding that the MPAs were less than the required strength of 94 announced a 20-minute break for the Asr prayers. Seeing the quorum problem even after the break, the speaker adjourned the house for January 18 morning.
AMER VISITS LPC: District Nazim Mian Amer Mahmood has said that the police officers failing to check hooliganism and attack on the Lahore Press Club would be proceeded against under the rules in a day or two.
Talking to LPC President Arshad Ansari and Governing Body members during a visit to the press club here on January 16, the District Nazim said that 166 people involved in hooliganism and attack on the Lahore Press Club had been sent to jail already.
He expressed his deep sense of grief over the attack on the press club and injuries caused to journalists and press club employees. He said that the government believed in freedom of the press. Data Ganj Bakhsh Town Nazim Tariq Sana Bajwa also accompanied the District Nazim during the visit.
Source: Dawn
Date:1/18/2005
