PTI lawmakers not allowed to attend NA session

The Islamabad Police on Wednesday barred seven lawmakers of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) from entering the Parliament House, as they tried entering into its premises to participate in the ongoing session at the National Assembly.

When the parliamentarians demanded entry while protesting at the building's main gate, they had an exchange of harsh words with the police further intensifying the standoff. However, they eventually returned after staging a protest against the resistance.

The PTI lawmakers raised slogans against the NA speaker, prime minister and interior minister while announcing that they will return to the parliament tomorrow (Thursday).

During the standoff, the lawmakers had given a five-minute ultimatum to the speaker demanding entry into the lower house of parliament. “If we are not allowed to enter parliament in five minutes, then we will give the next plan of action,” the members said.

The MNAs who participated in the protest included Aftab Siddiqui, Faheem Khan, Saifur Rehman, Aftab Jahangir, Aslam Khan, Ataullah Khan and Jahangir Alam.

While the standoff between the lawmakers and police continued, Iran’s Ambassador to Pakistan also arrived at parliament and was stuck inside its premises amid the chaos. The envoy was then escorted by security personnel through an alternate route.

The PTI lawmakers, stopped by the police, are members of the National Assembly from Karachi who had resigned while protesting against their party Chairman Imran Khan’s ouster in April last year.

Months later, their resignations were accepted by Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, after which the lawmakers approached the Sindh High Court (SHC) seeking reinstatement and holding by-elections on their seats.

A day earlier, Siddiqui announced the lawmakers’ decision to attend the NA session during a meeting in Karachi and wrote a letter to the lower house speaker informing him about it.

The lawmakers, in the letter, mentioned that it is their right to attend the assembly session after the suspension of the speaker’s order following the court’s ruling in March. They warned to protest and initiate legal proceedings if prevented from participating in the session.