ISLAMABAD: Amid heated arguments and exchange of accusations between government and opposition lawmakers in the National Assembly, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday demanded to apply Article 6 – high treason – against those who stormed Parliament House and arrested PTI MPs last night.
The speaker, in response, said that he had sought the videos from all the exit points of the Parliament so that “we can assign responsibility accordingly.”
“If whatever my colleagues are saying happened in the Parliament then we have to take action against that,” the speaker said, adding that he would not sit quietly.
He added that — if he had to — he would file the first information report (FIR) against the arrests himself.
“We have to take it up seriously and this is not going to be something we’d take lightly,” he reaffirmed.
On Monday night, a day after PTI held its Sangjani power show, law enforcement agencies swooped in on the party’s top leadership, whisking away at least three key members from different parts of Islamabad, while forcing others to take shelter in the Parliament House.
In a fiery speech in National Assembly, an emotionally charged Ali Muhammad Khan of PTI, lambasted the arrests of his fellow party leaders, terming it the darkest day in history of Parliament.
“Today, I’m making a case on democracy. Last night, what happened to democracy and to this Parliament. We are not in Israel; we are not in India: we are in Pakistan,” he lamented.
Addressing NA Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, he said: “Your colleagues Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Shafqat Awan, Amir Dogar, Shiekh Waqar Akram and Maulana Naseem were seeking shelter in this Parliament last night when they were arrested. Maulana Naseem was picked up from the mosque when he was offering prayers.”
“While what happened on 9 May was wrong, what happened last night was May 9 for Pakistan’s democracy,” he added.
“September 9 will be remembered in Pakistan’s history. It is filled with Liaquat Ali Khan, Bhutto’s execution, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto’s blood and gunshots at Imran Khan’s body,” he added.
“Last night, not from India, Israel or America but people from the state-run institutions of my own country made the arrests. Who were […] those veiled people who entered Parliament and took our people away,” he maintained.
Terming the attack on democracy and on Pakistan’s constitution, he said, adding, “I am making a demand on behalf of the constitution as I am in the Parliament, on the basis of 250 million people, as Imran Khan’s soldier.”
While drawing the attention of NA speaker, he said: “This attack is not on Imran Khan, Amir Dogar, Waqar or anyone as it is an attack on you, on Shehbaz Sharif, on Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and on politics.”
The Speaker, in response, said that he had requested the videos from all the exit points of the Parliament so that “we can assign responsibility accordingly.”
“If whatever my colleagues are saying happened in the Parliament then we have to take action against that,” the speaker said, adding that he would not sit quietly.
He added that — if he had to — he would file the first information report (FIR) against the arrests himself.
“We have to take it up seriously and this is not going to be something we’d take lightly,” he reaffirmed.
Later in the day, the NA speaker summoned Islamabad’s Inspector General of Police (IGP) Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi and the senior superintendent of police (SSP) for arresting PTI leaders within the jurisdiction of the Parliament.
According to a Parliamentary rule, police have to inform the National Assembly speaker before arresting any MNA, but the law enforcers did not seek permission from the custodian of the house before arresting the MNAs.
Consequently, the speaker summoned IGP Rizvi and the senior superintendent of police (SSP).
The sources privy to the meeting, the IGP Islamabad had nothing to say about the arrest of the lawmakers, except saying “We were helpless, Sir!”.
They said that the IG Rizvi kept saying he had to execute the orders from higher ups as he had no other option but to arrest the MNAs from inside the Parliament building.
Following Khan’s speech, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif termed the political clash a response to PTI’s statements and slogansat its rally in Sangjani.
“If you say ‘no [Imran] Khan, no Pakistan,’ what will be the reaction,” he questioned.
The minister further condemned “equating Pakistan’s existence to one man”, as well as the call to “bring an army of Pashtuns and attack Punjab”.
Asif noted that the kind of language used last night was protested by colleagues sitting in the NA.
“Pakistan’s integrity was challenged the day before yesterday — the language used against women.
“Pakistan’s integrity, unity and Constitution’s status was challenged. What do you expect after that?” he questioned.
He noted that whenever there is “internal talk”, PTI says they want to speak to the army.
“Which constitution says that if a political person has a grievance, they will talk to the army,” and added, “This is a defect in political DNA. When you are launched through the army, you return to the origin.”
Asif continued to blast the PTI, saying that none of the party’s protests match democratic values, adding “if yesterday’s incident was isolated, there would have been objection, Asif said, calling it a chain of incidents.”
“On May 9, only military targets were chosen. Those targets were insulted. Can any constitutional or moral protection be claimed,” he questioned.
“After breaking Colonel Sher Khan’s statue, you pray (Fateha) on September 6,” referring to Defence Day. “Nothing is more hypocritical. This is the backdrop of what happened yesterday.”
Asif went on to say that “PTI leader is imprisoned but my leader Nawaz Sharif and his entire family was trapped.”
“Their conscience is dead. They have sold their conscience,” Asif said before turning to Khan and telling him to “stop the drama”.
“He (Khan) was included when I was charged with Article 6; he voted in favour, everyone here is a witness,” Asif said. “He is a liar. Now that I have stepped on his tail, he is shouting.”
PML-N leader Rana Tanveer Hussain took a reconciliatory tone in the NA, and extended an offer to the opposition to unite to strengthen democracy and Parliament.
He said this was the right time to work together for the people’s prosperity, development and uplift.
Tanveer, who is minister for industries and production, then proceeded to list several incidents that occurred when the PTI government was in power.
He recalled that during the 2014 PTI sit-in in Islamabad, 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 recounted when police raided the hotel room of Maryam Nawaz and arrested her husband, Mohammad Safdar, while they were in Karachi in 2020.
He further said that opposition leaders were arrested on fabricated charges during the PTI government, and that PTI founder Imran Khan avoided meeting opposition members in the Assembly.
Tanveer also recalled that at the time, parliamentarians urged the PTI leadership to refrain from victimising opponents.
With regards to PTI’s power show on Sunday, he regretted that no PTI member condemned the inappropriate language used by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur at a public rally, in which journalists and women were targeted.
The minister further recalled that the NA was unconstitutionally dissolved by PTI, and the people of Punjab were also deprived of their representation due to the dissolution of the Punjab Assembly last year.
Meanwhile, MQM-Pakistan leader Syed Mustafa Kamal stated in the NA that Parliament is a supreme institution and should not be disrespected.
He also lambasted Gandapur for his speech on Sunday as “undemocratic and divisive”, and condemned the derogatory language used against women, political leaders, and journalists.
Kamal also said that there was no single party that could bring the country out of its current crisis, and urged political parties to unite on a common agenda.
PPP’s Naveed Qamar also condemned the arrest of PTI MNAs from inside the Parliament building, saying “it’s a very dangerous thing and if not stopped, they might arrest you, Mr Speaker, tomorrow.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024