NA speaker asks Islamabad police chief to immediately release PTI lawmakers

National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq Tuesday reprimanded Islamabad Inspector General (IG) of Police Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi in the wake of the arrests of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) parliamentarians, asking him to immediately release them.

The speaker's reaction comes a day after lawmakers of the Imran Khan-founded party were chased within the Parliament's premises and subsequently arrested.

"You cannot arrest anyone from the Parliament House or lodges. These parliamentarians should be released immediately," said the speaker.

Sadiq's directive came after a fiery speech delivered by the party's leader Ali Muhammad Khan on the floor of the lower house today.

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.

'May 9 of democracy'

Khan, in his speech, strongly protested the treatment meted out to fellow members of the NA including Aamir Dogar, Sheikh Waqas, Maulana Naseem, Sher Afzal Marwat and Jamshed Dasti — all of whom took shelter in the Parliament last night.

Protesting against the arrests, the former minister said: "What happened on May 9 was wrong, but last night was the May 9 of democracy."

The politician, in the NA, said he was not making a case for his party's founder Imran Khan today but for democracy. "We are not in Israel but in Pakistan."

Meanwhile, during his speech in the NA, Khan questioned who took away his party's lawmakers from the Parliament. "Who were those masked people who took our people from the Parliament?"

"Impose Article 6 on those who stormed the Parliament last night," he said, adding that the episode will be remembered as a "dark chapter in the democratic history of Pakistan".

"What happened yesterday was an attack on democracy, Pakistan and the Constitution of Pakistan," he said.

He added that the attack was, in fact, one on the speaker, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

The PTI leader told fellow parliamentarians that it was difficult for him to arrive at the Parliament today following strict checking in the federal capital.

Asif, Khan trade barbs

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."

What happened?

The Islamabad police on Monday had arrested PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan and lawmaker Marwat outside Parliament House, as well as took others into custody for allegedly violating the newly enacted public gathering law during the party’s Sunday power show in the capital.

The Islamabad police said that PTI leaders Omar Ayub Khan and Zartaj Gul Wazir would also be taken into custody.

Heavy contingents of police were deployed outside the parliament while all entry and exit routes to the Red Zone were also closed from D-Chowk, Nadra Chowk, Serena, and Marriott, except for Margala Road.

However, Ali Muhammad Khan was not taken into custody by the police when he departed from the parliament.

Marwat was arrested for violating regulations devised under a new law —Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Bill, 2024, sources told Geo News, adding that the PTI lawmaker was accused of clashing with police personnel a day earlier.

The sources had, on Monday, claimed that all the PTI lawmakers, including Zain Qureshi, Naseem-ur-Rehman and Zubair Khan were arrested from the Parliament House.