LAHORE: Law Minister Rana Sanaullah on Tuesday opposed the demand for special privileges for politicians and their families who fell victim to terrorism.

The demand has been made by Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf`s Mian Aslam Iqbal through a resolution. It sought that the legislators, ministers and other political figures who laid down their life in the war against terror be officially declared as Shaheed and their heirs should be extended the same privileges that are of fered to the heirs of the martyrs of the security forces.

Rana Sana asserted that such a preference for the political class would cause complications and invite criticism from the masses.

`Either all ordinary citizens should be considered for this treatment or the demand should be dropped altogether, he stressed, calling for talcinga holistic view of the situation.

Mian Aslam and PML-N`s Sheikh Alauddin also exchanged harsh words when the former claimed that some of the parliamentarians did not have enough money even to pay their commuting charges when they lef t for the assembly and stressed that heirs of such lawmakers should be given a better package in case of the lawmaker(s)` martyrdom.

The chair pended the resolution for further deliberation.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed tried to move a resolution out of turn, criticising the reported 63 per cent hike in gas tariff.

Both the chair and the law minister opposed the move, saying they had not even been served acopy ofthe proposed document.

On the request of Rana Sana, Mr Rasheed agreed to defer the matter for a day so that copies of the resolution could be circulated among all concerned.

The opposition leader, how-ever, did not agree with the law minister`s assertion that as the issue was related to the federal government it should not be raised in the provincial assembly and that the PTI had representation in the National Assembly and Senate it better took the issue to those forums.

Mr Rasheed said the provincial house could at least convey emotions of the public representatives from Punjab as the tariff hike might double the prices of all eatables.

LEAVE: The Punjab Assembly on Tuesday granted leave ofabsence to atleast14 MPAs, both from the treasury and opposition benches, with extraordinary retrospective effect.

Most of the legislators had missed one or more sittings of the session which continued for a month, from Dec 5, 2014 up to Jan 5, 2015.

Under section 34(1) of the Rules of Procedure, a member desirous of obtaining leave of absence from a sitting may do so by submitting a written application addressed to the speaker stating reasons for his absence.

The sub-rule (2) states that after the Question Hour the assembly secretary shall read out the application to the assembly and the speaker shall put the question, without debate, that leave be granted.

The leave should be submitted as earlier as possible or at least in the next session of the House.

Four sessions have been held from Feb 10 to March11, from March 27 to April 6, from May 15 to 25 and the budget session from June 10 to 26 since the absence of these MPAs but either they did not submit the applications or these were not read in the House. These were taken up only on the fifth sitting of the sixth session, after almost eight months.

Admitting inordinate delay in the submission of the applications, a senior officer of the assembly claims that Rules of Procedure have been changed in this respect though the changes could not yet take effect for these are yet to be formally adopted by the House.