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Ghafoor does it again - this time in Punjab Assembly
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By Amjad Mahmood
It remains to be seen whether Mr Ghafoor will face disciplinary action or gets off scot-free like he did in a scandal involving him in a forcible clearance of luggage from an international flight at Lahore airport around a month ago. - APP/File photo
Lahore: One wonders whether controversies follow the Punjab prisons minister or Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor himself keeps looking for chances to pick brawls. If one goes by Monday’s episode in the Punjab Assembly, the latter case seems to be true.
Pakistan People’s Party, the junior partner in the coalition ruling the province, had to face the wrath of the opposition for ‘loose’ and emotional speech of senior minister Raja Riaz in which he declared Mohsin Leghari of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q ‘a traitor’ and an ‘Indian agent’ out to pitch the federating units against each other on water issue.
N-League’s Sirdar Zulfikar Khosa added fuel to the fire by saying the family Leghari belonged to was also ‘devoid of a clean past’.
In the meantime, a Q Leaguer, Bushra Nawaz Gardezi, hoisted a placard inscribed with ‘CM Punjabi industrialist is traitor of Punjab.’
Reading it, Ghafoor left his seat and aggressively advanced to the opposition member to snatch away the placard. She held back her writing, which was taken away and folded by another opposition member standing behind her.
Uttering some remarks, which Ms Gardezi alleged were unbecoming, the minister also tried to slap her but he was held back by other MPAs.
An infuriated Ghafoor then threw budget books on Ms Gardezi which, missing the target, hit Samina Khawar Hayat, who responded in the same coin. However, she too missed the target.
This led to a heated argument between the treasury and opposition MPAs and the latter walked out en bloc to protest the episode, alleging the chair was showing partiality, while the house reverberated with slogans of ‘whosoever is friend of Musharraf is a traitor.’
Speaker Rana Iqbal, who played the role of a silent spectator during the ruckus, immediately announced a committee comprising Deputy Speaker Rana Mashhud, ministers Tanvir Ashraf Kaira, Nadeem Kamran, and Ashraf Sohna and MPA Chaudhry Shafiq to bring back the protesting members.
As some PML-N members opposed the efforts to bring back the opposition, a visibly upset speaker subdued these voices by asserting: ‘It’s me to decide what to do and not you.’
It was good to see that some PML-N MPAs led by Shehzadi Umerzadi Tiwana, notwithstanding their party affiliations, condemned the minister for abusing a woman MPA, and called for showing restraint by treasury benches.
Tiwana rejected the chair’s stance that no such ugly incident took place. ‘I’m an eyewitness to it (so there’s no use of denying it).’
To rescue the minister and the party from a difficult situation and as a damage-control measure, woman MPAs from the PML-N staged a token walkout against ‘illegal’, ‘unconstitutional’ and ‘immoral’ display of the placard in the house.
Waris Kallu, amidst desk thumping, rather sought the chair’s ruling on whether the placard could be brought into the house or not.
Q’s forward bloc leader Mian Ata Maneka held the authorities’ inaction on an incident occurring at the stairs of the assembly a few days ago responsible for the Monday’s episode. He was denouncing Raja Riaz’s remarks of terming Leghari a traitor when PPP MPAs interrupted him. Angered by it, he too walked out in protest.
Soon the team sent for bringing back the opposition returned empty handed as law minister Rana Sanaullah Khan told the chair the opposition leader had informed him that they would not join the house proceedings for the day. He urged the speaker to complete the agenda set for the day: discussion and voting on supplementary demands for Grants 2008-09.
The law minister disapproved both Ms Gardezi and Mr Ghafoor’s acts, terming them non-parliamentary.
However, it is to be seen whether Mr Ghafoor has to face some disciplinary action or gets off scot-free like he did in a scandal involving him in a forcible clearance of luggage from an international flight at Lahore airport around a month ago. And that how much cost the PML-N leadership is ready to pay for this blue-eyed minister of the Sharifs.
DAWN: Tuesday, 30 Jun, 2009
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Unification bloc’s Maneka joins PML-Q’s walkout:
Prisons minister manhandles Opp female MPA
- Ghafoor pushes Bushra Gerdaizi after she displays placard against CM * Khosa denies supporting Punjab’s division, Riaz accuses PML-Q MPA of conspiring to divide Punjab
By Rana Kashif and Mateen Kaul
LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Prisons Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor, from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), on Monday manhandled a burqa-clad female MPA of the opposition in the Punjab Assembly (PA) for displaying a placard against Chief Minister (CM) Shahbaz Sharif.
The opposition demanded the minister be sacked, and a case be registered against him for physically assaulting a female MPA, who was allowed under the law to express her mind on the floor of the House. The opposition walked out after the minister attacked the female MPA.
Maneka: Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) ‘unification bloc’ MPA Atta Maneka walked out with the PML-Q, and strongly criticised the incident, calling it undemocratic and immoral. It all started when Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) MPA Sardar Athar Gorchani, speaking on a point of order, thanked PML-N Punjab President Sardar Zulfiqar Khosa for endorsing the demand of MPAs from Southern Punjab that the province be divided into two parts on administrative grounds, and not on any other bases.
Division: In reply to the statement, Khosa said the MPA from Rajanpur (Gorchani) was in a state of great confusion, and said he had not supported the demand for two provinces. He said he was an opponent of Punjab being divided.
PML-Q MPA Mohsin Leghari recited a prayer by Hazrat Musa (AS), about the loosening of knots in his tongue, and asked where the PPP was when the water of South Punjab was stopped. At this, Senior Minister Raja Riaz called Leghari a traitor and alleged that he was an Indian agent. He said the MPA was conspiring to divide Punjab, and the PPP and the PML-N were against the division.
Members of the opposition started shouting “chor machaye shor”, which led the treasury MPAs, particularly those from the PPP, to raise a hue and cry. Leghari and other opposition members tried addressing the House on points of order, but Speaker Rana Iqbal did not allow it. Speaking on a point of order, Leader of the Opposition Chaudhry Zaheerud Din said there was no use of sitting in the assembly if the opposition was not given a chance to speak on the floor of the House.
Zaheer said the opposition could also talk of the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), but it wanted to cooperate with the treasury. He said the opposition would walk out if it was not given a chance to speak.
Meanwhile, Khosa started criticising the Leghari clan, which added more fuel to the fire with PML-Q MPA Bushra Nawaz Gerdaizi, wearing a burqa, displaying a placard inscribed with a slogan against the CM.
The scuffle: The prisons minister ran to the opposition benches. The opposition members tried to stop him, but he managed to reach Gerdaizi and started scuffling with her. He snatched the placard, and pushed Gerdaizi down on the benches.
Another PML-N MPA threw a bundle of budget booklets at PML-Q MPA Dr Samia Amjad, which hit her in the head. A number of MPAs started throwing budget books at each other. One of the books hit PML-Q MPA Samina Khawar Hayat on her head.
Daily Times: Tuesday, June 30, 2009
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Treasury condemns Ghafoor’s action
LAHORE: The treasury members in the Punjab Assembly (PA) have strongly condemned Prisons Minister Abdul Ghafoor’s misbehaviour with PML-Q MPA Bushra Nawaz Gerdaizi. PML-N MPA Rana Afzal Khan said everyone in the House was allowed to say whatever he wanted to, and this was their privilege. He said no member of the House needed to leave his place. PML-N MPA Col (r) Shuja Khanzada said the government’s public image would suffer due to the incident. He said the government even had to bear abuse at times, and treasury benches should be role models in the House. MPA Sanaullah Masti Khail said other members of the PML-N could also have stopped Gerdaizi from displaying the placard against the CM. He condemned that the female MPA had been pulled down from her seat. PPPMPA Nazim Hussain Shah said the women held a great status in Islam. He said the government should have tolerance. staff report.
Daily Times: Tuesday, June 30, 2009
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Ghafoor would not be alive if he had touched me’
LAHORE: Bushra Gerdaizi said the prisons minister would not have been alive if he had touched her, a private TV channel reported. She said it was ridiculous that male members of the treasury benches were using physical force against women. She said, “Is it democracy when a female member is physically assaulted in the House and no action is taken against the culprit?” She added it was like dictatorship in civilian form and needed to be ended. She said she could not imagine
that such a brutal act could be committed against female members of the opposition. staff report/daily times monitor;:June 30,2009
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PML-Q wants action against Ghafoor
The opposition leader said that the party would boycott proceedings of the Punjab Assembly until action against the minister was taken. - File photo
LAHORE: The parliamentary party of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q has demanded that prisons minister Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor’s membership of the assembly should be suspended for three months besides registration of FIR against him for `assaulting’ a female MPA.
Opposition leader Chaudhry Zaheeruddin told the media that the party would boycott proceedings of the house until action against the minister was taken.
He said the opposition was to raise the water issue in the house about which the irrigation minister had no answer as Punjab’s water was being given to other provinces while the provincial government was overlooking the sensitive issue just to save the ruling coalition.
He said the party was also critical of the speaker for playing the role of a silent spectator instead of reprimanding the minister and forcing him out of the house for `manhandling’ women MPAs.
He regretted the remarks uttered against opposition members by senior minister Raja Riaz and CM’s senior adviser Zulfikar Khosa.
He said ‘it is time for testing the repute of the chief minister as a man of principles. We’ll see what action he takes against the minister.’
DAWN: Tuesday, 30 Jun, 2009
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Zaheer demands Ghafoor’s sacking
 By Rana Kashif
LAHORE: Members of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly have demanded the sacking of Provincial Minister for Prisons Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor Khan besides registering a case against him for use of physical force against a female member of the opposition in the PA.
Talking to reporters, Opposition Leader in the PA Chaudhry Zaheerud Din said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had earlier tried to buy loyalties of the members of the opposition and now it had started using brute force against its members. He said strict action should be taken against Ghafoor for manhandling a female member of the House.
He said PML-Q’s Bushra Nawaz Gerdaizi was a respectable woman and a male member of the treasury benches had committed the indecent act against her.
He said the minister should be immediately sacked from office and demanded a case be registered against him. He said committing such acts was immoral, adding on one hand the PML-N’s coalition in Punjab talked of democracy while on the other its ministers were manhandling female members of the House. He said if an immediate action was not taken against the minister, the opposition would boycott the House’s proceedings. Deputy Opposition Leader Muhammad Yar Hiraj told Daily Times the Khan had physically assaulted a female member, adding under the law, everyone had the right to say anything in the House and the use of physical force could not be allowed.
He said besides Ghafoor’s sacking, they demand the speaker of the House order the registration of a first information report (FIR) against the minister.
MPA Gerdaizi said it was ridiculous that male members of the treasury benches were using physical force against women. She said, “Is it democracy when a female member is physically assaulted in the House and no action is taken against the culprit?” She added it was like dictatorship in civilian form and needed to be ended. She said she could not imagine that such a brutal act could be committed against female members of the opposition. Talking to a private TV channel, she said Ghafoor would not have been alive if he had touched her.
Meanwhile, MPAs Ayesha Javed, Simal Kamran, Mohsin Khan Leghari and Sher Ali Khan called the incident “brutal and an act of dictatorship”. They said dictatorship did not come just in the form of a military uniform, rather it was one’s behavior and actions that reflected that mindset. They said they would not sit in the House until strict action was taken against the minister.
Daily Times: Tuesday, June 30, 2009
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Leaders are father figures, mine was insulted’
LAHORE: Denying the reports that he had thrown copies of the budget on the PML-Q’s female MPAs, Punjab Prisons Minister Abdul Ghafoor said PML-Q Punjab President Pervaiz Elahi has used women against the PML-N leadership, a private TV channel reported on Monday. According to the channel, the minister said leaders were like father figures and asked how someone should react when their father is insulted. He said Elahi had sent female MPAs from his party with banners against the PML-N leadership.
daily times monitor June 30,2009
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