Punjab Assembly: Opposition insists on penalising Ch. Abdul Ghafoor

LAHORE, June 30: Opposition in the Punjab Assembly on Tuesday boycotted the session after the treasury did not entertain its request for a ‘strict’ action against Prisons Minister Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor for his conduct.
During Monday’s session, Ghafoor had thrown budget books at PML-Q’s Bushra Nawaz Gardezi for hoisting a placard inscribed with “CM Punjabi industrialist is traitor of Punjab.” Following the incident the opposition had walked out of the house.
Before the start of the session on Tuesday, Speaker Rana Iqbal, Deputy Speaker Rana Mashhood, Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, Senior Minister Raja Riaz, Finance Minister Tanvir Ashraf Kaira and senior adviser to chief minister Zulifqar Khosa held talks with opposition leader Chaudhry Zaheeruddin, Moonis Elahi and Chaudhry Sher Ali over the issue.
The opposition members wanted removal of Mr Ghafoor from ministerial post, besides suspending him from the assembly membership for at least 15 days.
“Yes we agree to suspend Ghafoor but he will not be penalised alone. Bushra Gardezi will be handed down the same punishment,” a treasury member said.
“You can not compare Ghafoor’s conduct with Ms Gardezi’s. Same punishment can not be awarded for slapping and stabbing,” Moonis Elahi argued and insisted on awarding `exemplary’ punishment to the prisons minister who had been in news for his alleged manhandling of the Customs officials at the Lahore airport.
“Sparing Ghafoor this time too means the PML-N leadership is endorsing a conduct unbecoming to a minister,” the young Elahi said and vowed not to return to the assembly if the opposition’s ‘just’ demand was not met. “We will take to streets and launch a campaign against Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif for ‘protecting’ his cabinet member for ‘assaulting a woman’,” he said.
The treasury also insisted on authorising the speaker for any action against Ghafoor or both Ghafoor and Bushra but the opposition did not agree. “We will protest and continue to boycott the assembly proceedings if the speaker suspended Ms Gardezi too,” Chaudhry Zaheeruddin said.
Raja Riaz ruled out ‘unilateral’ action against Chaudhry Ghafoor. “It is not fair to penalise Ghafoor alone in this case,” Riaz said and told this reporter that a treasury team was scheduled to have a meeting with the opposition on Wednesday before the start of the session. “I hope some consensus will be reached between us and the opposition will be back to the house,” the senior minister said.
The speaker is also considering a proposal to suspend the membership of a legislator for at least 15 days for bringing a placard to the house. Though the PML-Q has no objection over the proposal, but it wants the same for future.
During the Pervaiz Elahi tenure, PPP’s Azma Bokhari had brought a placard against the Ch. Pervaiz Elahi and the then ruling PML-Q’s Zeenat Khan had attempted to snatch the placard from her. “We had suspended the membership of Ms Khan for three days for the gesture,” a PML-Q leader said and advised the PML-N to follow suit.

Well done Moonis Elahi!

Well done Moonis!

I read in dawn some days ago about how you tool on Mr. Khosa in session of the Punjab Assembly. I am a non partisan Pakistani and I try not to dabble into politics for I think it is simply not my cup of tea. But, it gives me sleepless nights.

I have relived that Sharif brothers are only befooling the nation with their cheap rhetoric and they have failed to give any solution to the gigantic economic issues that the nation faces today. I tell you Moonis Bhai, it was like I had suddenly cracked the secret code of a very well guarded vault.

This realization fell on me like lightening that the Sharifs have tricked the innocent Pakistanis once again. So, I think that what you stood up for in the assembly session was very much in order. No one is allowed to break political parties into factions and then apply the divide and rule doctrine.

Have you heard of a Democratic party or a Republicans party forward or unification block. So, good that you took the turncoat Khosa to task. Does he not see mechanical flaws in “N” league?

Keep up the good work,

From Sacha Lahori

Moonis Elahi, Zulfiqar Khosa Clash in Punjab Assembly

Saturday, June 20, 2009, Lahore

Arguments between a junior and a seasoned legislator caused uproar in the Punjab Assembly, igniting a blame game between treasury and opposition benches on Friday.


Moonis Elahi of the PML-Q and Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa of the PML-N exchanged heated words during the PA session. Tension was diffused when Deputy Speaker Rana Mashood Ahmed Khan intervened and asked both sides to calm down and pay attention towards the budget session.The situation became tense during a point of order when Khosa said there was a ‘manufacturing defect’ in the formation of the PML-Q and it was the reason why it was facing departure of legislators.


Moonis Elahi on a point of order said that he remembered that Khosa had visited Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi at a time when Nawaz Sharif was in London. He said during the meeting Khosa had agreed to change his loyalty. Moonis Elahi told the House that he could also provide details of what Khosa had discussed with his father(Pervaiz) regarding his sons.
This infuriated Khosa who had returned to the Punjab Assembly for the ninth time. Khosa in reply called the son of the former chief minister ‘Moonis Nutt’ which elicited a strong reaction from the opposition. The opposition termed Khosa’s remark a ‘personal attack’ on Moonis.Continuing his speech, Khosa said that Nawaz Sharif had showered the family of Chaudhrys with personal favours and that he (Khosa) could also disclose what Chaudhrys had discussed with him (Nawaz).


Moonis Elahi said he could also say a lot before the House but his elders had taught him the importance of respecting others which Khosa probably hadn’t taught to his sons. This once again infuriated the PML-N camp. Rana Mohammed Arshad of the PML-N stood up and criticized Moonis and his supporters for being a part of a dictatorial regime.


PML-Q women legislators, including Amna Ulfat, Samina Khawar Hayat kept criticizing the PML-N leadership and the deputy speaker had to intervene and ask the members to calm down. Moonis Elahi on a point of order earlier has also criticized Law Minister Rana Sana Ullah Khan for calling PML-Q a party of ‘turncoats’. Moonis, who remained very vocal in the House on Friday, stated that in past Rana Sana Ullah Khan was a part of the PPP and used to criticise the PML-N Quaid in the same House.