F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: A day after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers were chased within the Parliament’s premises, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq Tuesday reprimanded the Islamabad Inspector General (IG) of Police Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi, demanding their immediate release.
“You cannot arrest anyone from the Parliament House or lodges. These parliamentarians should be released immediately,” said the speaker. Sadiq’s directive comes in the wake of the arrests of PTI lawmakers followed by a fiery speech delivered by the party’s leader Ali Muhammad Khan on the floor of the lower house on Tuesday.
Sadiq added that he is “very saddened” by this incident and also watched the footage of PTI leader Sher Afzal Marwat’s arrest. “What way was it to arrest a parliamentarian?” the speaker questioned IG Rizvi.
The speaker maintained he won’t remain silent on arrests of lawmakers and will action. “Whatever happened in the Parliament will have to be protested. I have ordered all the videos,” he said, summoning the leadership of all political parties in the chamber. Sadiq stressed that the matter is to be looked into with seriousness. “I will file a case against those involved in yesterday’s incident.”
In the next move, the speaker immediately summoned IG Islamabad, DIG operations and senior superintendent of police (SSP) operations. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that the remarks in the PTI public rally had challenged Pakistan’s integrity.
Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, he said that the rally had undermined Pakistan’s integrity, unity, and federation. He condemned linking Pakistan’s existence with any individual, describing it as deplorable. He also strongly denounced the remarks made by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur about attacking Punjab and his comments targeting women, political leadership, and the journalist community.
He said that Gandapur’s remarks hurt the sentiments of political leaders and media workers. He termed September 8 as a “black day” in the country’s history in which the KP chief executive had challenged the federation. The minister expressed regret over the former ruling party’s avoidance of dialogue with other political parties and alleged that PTI attempts to gain power through backdoor means.
He also regretted the PTI leadership’s actions targeting defence installations on May 9 and highlighted that the memorials of martyrs were attacked by PTI workers. He slammed the Imran-founded party for failing to work towards strengthening democracy and Parliament.
During his speech, PTI lawmakers — Khan and Shandana Gulzar Khan — stood up and protested against Asif’s remarks which led to the exchange of some harsh words between the MNAs. Responding to their protest, the defence czar said that they started shouting when he start telling facts about them.
He recalled: “Article 6 was imposed against me by these people [during the PTI government] and Ali Muhammad Khan backed the cabinet’s decision at that time.” Continuing to slam the PTI, Asif said that the PTI leaders were just staging drama. Addressing Shandana, Asif said: “I don’t want to talk to you or you’ll complain you are a woman.” In response, when Ali Muhammad Khan told Asif to mind his manners, the latter retorted, “I learnt these manners from you.” Federal Minister for Industries and Production Rana Tanveer Hussain extended an offer to the opposition, urging them to unite to strengthen parliament, democracy, and the country’s overall progress.
Speaking on the floor, he said that this is the right time to work together for the common people’s prosperity, development, and upliftment. Recalling events from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, he said that during the PTI sit-in, institutions like ptv and parliament were attacked. He also said the civil disobedience campaign initiated by PTI leaders, during which people were asked not to pay their bills.
The minister also recounted the incident where the doors of Maryam Nawaz’s hotel room were broken in Karachi. He said that opposition leaders were arrested on fabricated charges during the PTI government. He said that PTI founder avoided meeting opposition members in the National Assembly. He also recalled that during that time, parliamentarians urged the PTI leadership to refrain from victimizing opponents.
