PML-N MNA Anjum Aqeel
was finally arrested on Saturday, a day after his supporters, including his 15 relatives, mostly rogues and vagabonds, stormed the Kohsar police in Islamabad firing in the air and brandishing sophisticated weapons and got the lawmaker freed from the lock-up. As Aqeel found losing the support of his party, he decided to surrender but laid condition that he would not be handcuffed and kept in a private place in the capital with all facilities he is enjoying at home. This request was turned down and the Shalimar police took him in custody near F-7 Markaz when he was accompanied by the same hooligans riding in cars making a caravan. The N League MNA, facing the charges that he misappropriated about Rs6 billion in the National Police Foundation scam, now countenances accusation under the Anti-Terrorism Act and he and 86 of his accomplices, who include 20 relatives, have been indicted in the FIR. This is the same Anjum Aqeel who last year assaulted the Federal Government College at F-10/4, slapped senior teacher Prof Ahmad Khan for not giving admission to a boy who did not meet the merit requirements and his accompanying hooligans damaged the college’s property. This is not the first time that a legislator has brought embarrassment to the party. It is from this party that the maximum number of MNAs and MPAs were disqualified for contesting election non fake bachelor’s degree. In 2009, a party MNA Haji Pervez Khan from Rawalpindi had to resign when a party committee found him involved in a case of impersonation. The fraud came to light when his nephew was arrested from an examination hall while appearing in the BA examination in place of his uncle. Then came the resignation of MPA Shunaila Rana when a case of credit card theft and misuse was registered against her. The party was also left pocketing insult when it awarded a ticket to Naghma Mushtaq for the by-election for a Punjab Assembly seat from Multan to contest against the brother of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani only to lose heavily. Naghma had won the February 2008 elections on the PML-Q ticket and resigned from the assembly fearing possible disqualification for having a fake degree. At least 10 more MNAs and MPAs of Nawaz Sharif’s party have been found in such legal offences since 2008 elections and this is the highest number of lawmakers breaking the law by any party. Such offences make one believe that the party leadership has failed to inspire its legislators in learning a good political behaviour. This also poses a question if the party had taken proper care of the moral character of aspirants for the 2008 elections and awarded party tickets to those who were not sufficiently qualified to rise to political and democratic morality. What has transpired is that the party hardly scrutinizes antecedents of election contenders. Had Sharifs’ party sought applicants to produce bachelor’s degree for 2008 elections, it would have saved itself from much of the humiliation that came its way when courts disqualified them accepting their rivals’ petitions.
No comments:
Post a Comment