LAHORE, July 28: The Punjab Assembly, which met here on Monday after a two-day break, took up the Sialkot incident for discussion out of turn as the chair suspended rules of business for the purpose.

Opposition members, including Rana Sanaullah, Rana Aftab, Rana Mashhud and others, had pressed the chair, being held by Deputy Speaker Shaukat Mazari at that time, to suspend the rules for immediately opening the house to general discussion on the incident in which three judicial officers had been killed in a shootout between prisoners and police in Sialkot jail on Friday.

Ten judicial officers were inspecting various cells of the prison when five prisoners held them hostage at gunpoint to demand a safe exit for their escape.

Law Minister Raja Basharat resisted the opposition’s move on the plea that the discussion could be held after the question-answer session as planned earlier. However, he later gave in when the opposition started saying that the government was not realizing the seriousness of the incident which they termed an attack on the institution of judiciary.

Opening the discussion, opposition leader Qasim Zia said such incidents would continue to occur unless powers of the house and the chief minister were not restored.

He lamented that the provincial government could neither amend the Police Act nor could take action against any police officer.

He suggested forming of a permanent committee of the house to oversee favouritism in transfers and postings (in police department) and continue presenting proposals for improving law and order.

Rana Aftab deplored that the government could not yet devise the district policing plan and had taken nine months in forming house standing committees.

He said no better results could be expected from the police force when it would be used to safeguard personal interests.

Raja Riaz said the incident occurred for the government had posted the jail officials who had earlier been suspended on the charge of smuggling weapons into jails.

He also questioned the government decision of not conducting postmortem examination on the bodies of the slain judges.

Law Minister Raja Basharat replied that the families of the judges had requested that autopsy should not be conducted while a judicial magistrate had also passed an order to the same effect.

Amjad Dasti held all past governments responsible for the incident as these had not taken steps for reforming prisoners in jails which, he said, had become havens of criminals.

Ehsanullah Waqas said besides overcrowding, corruption was another factor which was forcing prisoners to become even harder criminal.

Quoting his experience, he said jail superintendents awarded “contracts” against a hefty amount to the staff desirous of their posting on “lucrative” search duty.

He stressed the need for amendments to judicial system as some prisoners were waiting for decision of their cases for 10 years which was causing depression among them.

Sagheera Islam said no crime was possible without the active connivance of police. She said transfer or suspension from service was not a punishment and the officials responsible should rather be terminated from service.

Hasan Akhtar Moakkal lamented the casual attitude of the parliamentarians when a serious matter was being discussed in the house.

In his opinion, crime graph registered an abrupt increase when the magistracy system was abolished. Amidst applause from both sides, he criticized the devolution plan saying it had given powers (to handle an issue on its own) to the institution which held a club in its hands.