Punjab: Elite Force’s wing to check terrorists infiltration at province's borders

[Naveed Yaseen]

A special wing of the Elite Force is being prepared to be deputed on the bordering areas especially in DG Khan and Rajanpur to stop the infiltration of terrorists into the province, the Punjab Assembly was told on Wednesday.

Responding to various questions and objections raised by the opposition about hefty allocation for Punjab Police and efforts for curbing terrorism, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sana Ullah Khan told the Punjab Assembly that the government had decided to train the entire police on the pattern of Elite Force and Army Commando, which would prove very effective in maintaining law and order.

Meanwhile, Punjab Minister for Culture Dr Rana Tanvir ul Islam also suspended Lahore Arts Council Executive Director Kamran Afzal Cheema for issuing statements against the PA proceedings.

The PA session started with a delay of 45 minutes with Speaker Rana Mohammed Iqbal Khan in chair. Senior parliamentarian Saeed Akbar Niwani on a point of order criticized officials for issuing statements against elected members and termed it disrespect to the entire House. Speaker Rana Mohammed Iqbal on the occasion ruled that no department had the prerogative to issue any statement about the business of the Punjab Assembly. Dr Tanvir ul Islam, the minister for Culture, on the occasion announced to suspend the official.

Speaker Rana Mohammed Iqbal also constituted a 7-member committee comprising Senior Minister Raja Riaz Ahmed, Law Minister Rana Sana Ullah Khan, Finance Minister Tanvir Ashraf Kaira, MPAs Dr Samia Amjad, Khawaja Imran Nazir, Saeed Akbar Niwani and Mian Ejaz to present the report of entire matte before the House within two days.

During the proceedings, members from the opposition benches raised objection about the VIP security given to the provincial ministers. Responding to their objections, the Law minister said none of the provincial ministers had been given Elite Force for their security.

To a complaint raised by PML-Q woman MPA for the squad of elite force given to Dost Mohammed Khosa, Rana Sana said he had been provided the Elite Force as the former chief minister of the province. He said in the same way, former Punjab CM Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi was also given the VIP security and 22 Elite Force personnel had been deployed for his safety. Besides, he said, a bullet proof car had also been given to him whereas 86 persons had been deployed for the security of his family and residence.

He said the government was providing security only to those personalities who had received threats from the terrorists, adding Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khasa had been provided four Elite Force men.

On the issue of VIP security, PML-Q legislator Mohsin Leghari said if the government could provide security to a former CM, why former president Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari was not given security. However, Senior Minister Raja Riaz Ahmed Khan jumped into the discussion and criticized former President Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari for dismissing the democratic government of Benazir Bhutto.

This started a brief debate in the House on a totally irrelevant issue and Opposition leader Chaudhry Zaheer ud Din Khan on point of order requested the speaker to bar the PPP members from criticizing Farooq Leghari who had also served as the opposition leader in Punjab for a brief period in 1988.

Bushra Nawaz Gardezi, a PML-Q legislator in her address said the performance of Police was not up to the mark and demanded the report of Punjab Police’s performance should be presented in the House after a period of every six months.

Sagheera Islam, a PPP MPA in her address, demanded the Punjab government to provide new cars to parliamentary secretaries while auctioning the bullet proof cars.

Rana Sana Ullah in response to her question said that two or three years used cars have been provided to the parliamentary secretaries and news cars could be provided if the chair allowed it.

The speaker said the current circumstances demand that attention be paid to steer the country of out crisis rather than voicing for cars.

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