Sahiwal incdent: Punjab Assembly holds in-camera session
LAHORE (92 News) – The Punjab Assembly on Thursday held an in-camera session on Sahiwal incident where the opposition did not satisfy ongoing investigation by the Joint Investigation Team (JIT).
During the in-camera session for the first time in the history, the assembly members were briefed on the Sahiwal incident and progress regarding ongoing investigation by the JIT.
In the session, Punjab Assembly speaker Pervaiz Elahi asked the provincial law minister Raja Basharat to share information with the house. However, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar did not participate in the session.
Punjab s Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Fazeel Asghar briefed members of the assembly on the tragic incident.
Opposition demands judicial probe into Sahiwal incident
Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz and other opposition members strongly rejected the JIT’s report and the government’s stance on the matter and demanded the formation of a judicial commission to probe the matter transparently. Hamza Shehbaz termed the JIT ‘wastage of time’. Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) leaders said that a first information report (FIR) should be lodged against CM Buzdar. “The leader of the house was conspicuous by his absence in the in-camera session. This shows the seriousness of the government,” he said while speaking to the media on the premises of the provincial assembly.Ruckus in Punjab Assembly over Sahiwal incident
A day earlier, the opposition in the Punjab Assembly staged a strong protest against the Punjab government for not presenting a joint investigation team (JIT) report on the Sahiwal incident in the house for discussion.
The members of the opposition tore copies of today’s agenda of the assembly and gathered in front of the speaker’s dais in protest against the government’s declining their request to suspend the assembly proceedings to hold discussion on the Sahiwal JIT report.
The law minister dismissing the demand of judicial commission in Sahiwal tragedy on Monday urged the opposition in the Punjab Assembly to wait for the JIT report.
Earlier on Tuesday, the minister termed the Sahiwal encounter ‘100 percent right’ and said the initial investigation report by the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) had held the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) officials responsible for the loss of innocent lives in Sahiwal.
The provincial law minister said that in light of the JIT report, Additional IGP of the CTD and the DIG Sahiwal were immediately being removed from their posts, while DIG and the SSP of CTD had been suspended.
He said five officers of the CTD would be produced before an anti-terrorism court and have been charged under Section 302 of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
