LAHORE – The Punjab Assembly on Friday unanimously carried three resolutions to strongly condemn the burning of the Holy Quran by the Nato troops at Bagram Airbase, Afghanistan, US Congress’s resolution on Balochistan. The resolutions also expressed solidarity with the Baloch people and demanded the redressal of their grievances.
Chaired by the Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan, the House carried the said resolution suspending routine business. The first resolution, read out by parliamentary leader of PML(Q) Ch Zaheerud Din, while vehemently resenting burning of the copies of the Holy Quran by the Nato forces, rejected the plea extended by the US and Nato forces that it was inadvertent act and wanted immediate arrest of the perpetrators and due punishment to them through the International Court of Justice.
The House termed the torching of the Quran, a conspiracy wherein recurrence of burning and desecration of the Holy Quran has become a routine. The House stressed that due respect must be paid to Islam as the international community does to other faiths and the incident of setting the Holy Quran afire has not only seriously hurt the feelings of the members but also of the entire Pakistani nation including the communities over which the whole Ummah is up in arms. The House also expressed the hope that followers of other faiths would also flay the act of the Nato forces.
The second resolution read to the House by Law Minister Rana Sanaullah decried the Congress resolution on Balochistan while demanding the Federal Government not only to protest but raise the matter at the international level to check repetition of such like ventures. The House was one describing the resolutions a blatant direct attack on the sovereignty and integrity of Pakistan which cannot be given countenance at any cost. The US Congressional resolutions, presented by three Republican Senators, the House said, are interference in the internal affairs of Pakistan and a negation of its sovereignty as well as an open violation of the UN Charter.
The third resolution was read out by PPP Parliamentary Leader, Zulfiqar Gondal to express wholehearted solidarity with the Baloch people while seeking strict action against the killers of Nawab Muhammad Akbar Khan Bugti as a vital measure to put balm on the wounds of the Baloch people.
Speaking on the first resolution, Ch Zaheeduddin said the desecration of the Holy Quran is taking place only for the reason, foreign troops are present in Afghanistan. Rana Sana fully supported his point of view and called for some concrete action to prevent these happenings. The minority member Pervez Rafiq on behalf of the Christian community also recorded protest on this act of profanity.  On the resolution on Baloch people, Rana Sanaullah said the uncalled for operations in the past have contributed to the miseries and denial of rights to the Baloch.Earlier to the resolutions, the session, which started 2:20 hours beyond the scheduled time, discussed the issue of development funds of the Opposition wherein the Opposition members threatened to boycott the house proceedings from Wednesday if promise made by the Law Minster to release the same by Tuesday next was not fulfilled.