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Opposition's charge in NA

Javed was killed

under Govt Plan

RECORDER REPORT

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly meeting on Sunday discussed the opposition's adjournment motion on the killing of the PML(N) activist in Lahore on Thursday at the hands of the police.

The Interior Minister, General Naseerullah Khan Babar, did not oppose the discussion on the adjournment motion moved by the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, but objected to its language. Another adjournment moved by Raja Mohammad Afzal of the Opposition was not admitted by the Speaker, as it was against the rules and had been objected to by the State Minister for Law. The Speaker agreed with the contention of the minister and said: "It had been mutually agreed in my chamber to discuss the motion to be moved by the deputy leader of the opposition".

Deputy Opposition Leader, Gohar Ayub Khan in his motion, said that the killing of Javed Ashraf was pre-planned, deliberate and that it was a serious violation of human rights, an attempt to eliminate political opponents. Those who spoke on the motion were Kh. Mohammad Asif, Ahsan Iqbal, Asfandyar Wali and Sh. Rashid Ahmad.

They said that use of state power against a peaceful demonstration and a small procession in Lahore was just a repetition of the history of PPP. "Ironically, this use of brutal force was done on the April 4, when the PPP was observing the anniversary of ZAB". They pointed out that it was a pre-meditated murder and target killing, as Javed Ashraf was hit in the chest. "Javed Ashraf and Kh. Saad Rafiq have been targeted, while Saad Rafiq is in police custody and brutally tortured. Javed Ashraf has been eliminated because he was responsible for bringing out all the processions since the inception of Tehrik-e-Nijat and finally earned the wrath of the Prime Minister when, during the World Cup final, he had arranged raising of slogans in support of Mian Nawaz Sharif", they said.

"The killing of political opponents is not a new thing with the PPP. It has a record of murdering Dr. Nazir Ahmad and Kh. Mohammad Rafiq. Now the PPP has started the same drama, forgetting that the killings in Lahore during the PNA movement led to the hanging of ZAB. The attitude of intolerance, arrogance, false pride and spilling of blood is a genetic problem with the Prime Minister who has not learnt the lesson from her own family. She is two steps ahead of her father in trying to suppress the voice of the people with the use of state power, but forgets that the voice of the people cannot be stifled with the use of bullets", the speakers said.

They pointed out that the rulers had tried to stifle the voice of the parliament and the judiciary, and had gone to the extent of stifling the institution of NIRC.

One of the members predicted that the month of April would lead to change in the country as it happened in 1977, when blood was spilled on the roads of Lahore leading to the hanging of the then ruler. They said the combination that had again come about and Lahore was the scene of protest. "Even today, widespread trouble emerged in Lahore, a continuation of the protest of April 4", he said.

The Opposition members warned that, if the FIR was not registered, it would be imprinted on the hearts of the people and would take the shape of a written charge at the appropriate time, which was not far off.

They strongly protested against the mal-treatment of five women workers at the hands of the police, and said that the brutalities meted out to women was a matter of great shame for the women Prime Minister.

The Opposition members pointed out that the political workers had either been killed during the martial law regime or the regimes of PPP. "The killing of Javed Ashraf is a politically motivated murder", a member said.

They further alleged that all the institutions which build up democracy and democratic norms were being deliberately sabotaged and undermined. "It is a matter of great regret that this party has taken up cudgels against all the institutions whether it is the parliament or the judiciary", the Opposition said.

Waja Karim Dad said "indeed it is a tragedy that a political worker has been killed, which is the fate of all the political workers. The Opposition staged-managed this killing of a poor worker, who used to do chalking for it, arranged processions for it. The Opposition is using this killing for political purposes, but it would not succeed in its machinations".