Punjab Assembly today paid tributes to 148 people who were massacred in Pakistan's Peshawar last week.
On the opening day of the three-day winter session, Punjab Assembly Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal led the House in paying tributes to children who were killed when seven heavily armed Taliban suicide bombers stormed a Pakistan Army-run school in Peshawar firing indiscriminately last week.
While expressing deep sorrow and grief over the killing of school students, the House also observed a moment's silence as a mark of respect and to mourn the killings.
Besides, the House also paid tributes to Parkash Kaur, sister of martyr Bhagat Singh. She died in Toronto in the month of September this year.
Tributes were also paid to veteran Akali leader and former president of the Shiromani Akali Dal and Shiromani Gurudwara Parbhandhak Committee, Jagdev Singh Talwandi who died in September this year.
Talwandi was also a minister of state in the first non-Congress government in Punjab in 1967. He was elected to Lok Sabha from Ludhiana in 1977.
The Punjab Assembly also paid tributes to former Congress MLA Jagdev Singh Jassowal, also known as icon of the, who passed away at a private hospital here today following a brief illness.
He was 80 and is survived by his widow and two sons, his family said here.
The House also paid tributes to ex-MP and ex-MLA Gurcharan Singh Galib who died on October 18 after a brief illness.
Among those who were paid tributes included ex-minister Gurmail Singh and 13 freedom fighters-- Sansar Singh, Najar Singh, Hazara Singh, Gurdip Singh, Darshan Singh, Chand Singh, Hazara Singh, Gurdial Singh, Naib Singh, Sant Singh, Gurmukh Singh, Gurdial Singh and Shamsher Singh.
After obituary references, the House was adjourned for the day.
Notably, Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and Cabinet minister Bikram Singh Majithia were conspicuous by their absence on the first day of the session.
Former Union minister Preneet Kaur marked her first appearance in the state assembly after recently winning the bypolls from Patiala constituency, which was earlier represented by her husband and former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh.
Singh had vacated his seat after being elected to Lok Sabha from Amritsar parliamentary constituency this year.
