Gandapur statement about talks with Afghanistan attack on federation: Asif

ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Thursday criticised Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur for his statement about holding dialogue with Afghanistan, calling it a direct attack on the federation.

Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, he said that no province has the authority to hold talks with any foreign country. He said the KP chief minister attacked the federation while putting the country’s security at stake. Gandapur’s speech was just a continuation of an address at a public meeting in Islamabad, he said adding that the PTI leaders themselves pollute the good environment. “The environment has been vitiated to an extent that no politician is ready to shake hands with others,” he said.

Asif also highlighted the initiatives taken by the speaker to ensure the supremacy of parliament. The minister said the Sunni Ittehad Council had not lost their representation due to the speaker’s issuance of production orders. He urged that the tradition set by Speaker Ayaz Sadiq continue, stressing the importance of following rules and laws.

Recalling the past events, he pointed out that during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) regime, the former speaker denied production orders of the arrested members. The minister also informed the House of the victimisation carried out by the PTI government, stating that Rana Sanaullah Khan, Maryam Nawaz, Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari’s sister had been arrested in fake cases.

Asif further mentioned that the PTI was consulted on important legislation during the PDM government’s tenure. He said that now is the time to promote the politics of tolerance in the country. In response to Khawaja Asif’s speech, ex-Speaker Asad Qaisar said the KP chief minister had started holding talks with the Afghanistan government. “This is correct. This is our decision that we want to constitute a grand jirga along with the federal government and political notables,” he said. Qaisar said they have to protect their province when bombs are exploding there. “It is not the right approach to target the province on such a basis,” he said.

Asad Qaiser alleged that his party members were being victimised and stressed that legislation should be drafted for the welfare of people, not protecting individual interests. He called for institutions to operate within their domains and suggested forming an all-party committee to investigate the manhandling of parliamentarians. He also recalled issueing production orders for detained members during his tenure as speaker.

Earlier, the PTI parliamentarians demanded declaring September 10 as a ‘Black Day’ in parliamentary history for breach of the sanctity of the Parliament House by arresting members from its premises. “It was a tragedy in the history of parliament and the day should be remembered as black day in the parliamentary history,” PTI MNAs Shaikh Waqas Akram, Zain Qureshi and Sher Afzal Marwat said while speaking on the floor of the House. The speaker had issued production orders for 10 detained PTI MNAs on Wednesday, some of whom were arrested from the premises of the Parliament House building on the night of Sept 9.

The detained MNAs were driven to the Parliament aboard a van and were escorted by the Islamabad Police. On arrival, they were warmly received by Opposition Leader Omar Ayub, Ali Muhammad Khan and other PTI members. The speaker invited the 10 MNAs for a meeting in his chamber and heard how the events unfolded on Sept 9. Omar Ayub, Asad Qaisar, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Zartaj Gul were also present in the meeting.

“We are thankful to the speaker for inviting us to the meeting and arranging meal for us in an atmosphere when nobody is ready to shake hands with each other,” Sher Afzal Marwat said while speaking later on the floor of the House. He claimed the judge who allowed the physical remand of detained MNAs has been posted for that purpose.

Waqas Akram and Zain Qureshi, while criticising the government, said that all the exit points of the Parliament House building were closed for them while lights of the building were also switched off when masked persons entered the building.

Akram told the House that he and Zain Qureshi locked themselves in a room on the fourth floor of the Parliament House building from where they were arrested in the wee hours of September 10 after a two-hour search. “Contrary to the claim being made by a minister that they came just 10 feet inside the building, they reached the fourth floor to arrest us,” he said. He questioned on whose behest those masked persons entered the Parliament House building. “Did they enjoy the confidence of the speaker, secretary or any other person,” he questioned.

Speaker Ayaz Sadiq said the words of the members imply as if he permitted the action. “If it is so, I should ponder whether I should sit here or not,” he said. Waqas Akram replied when he asked a police officer about the masked people, he replied, “You know very well.”

Malik Aamir Dogar, who was also among the members who were produced in the National Assembly, said over 8,000 cases have been registered on leaders of a single party, adding that they were not afraid of them. “But I feel if this House cannot give me protection, then how I will be able to protect people of my constituency,” he said. Omar Ayub thanked the Speaker for issuing production orders for the PTI members as he did in the case of Haji Imtiaz MNA on an earlier occasion. Talking about the September 8 public meeting in Islamabad, he said he was accompanying KP CM Ali Amin Gandapur in the rally, adding that every possible hurdle was created in their way. “We were stopped on the way, and on asking the police officer, we were told they were not his men,” he said. While talking informally to newsmen after attending the meeting in the Speaker’s Chamber, Omar Ayub said the suspension of Sergeant-At-Arms alone would not serve the purpose. He demanded taking all those involved in the exercise to task.

Meanwhile, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman announced to oppose any constitutional amendment to give extensions in the judiciary, armed forces, or any other institution. “Our position is very clear; we are in the opposition and will play role of opposition on this issue, not allowing to lay foundation of any such tradition,” he said on the floor of the National Assembly. Fazl’s statement negated all the claims about his support for the constitutional amendment to fix the tenure of Chief Justice of Pakistan to three years. He further said that if the judiciary and armed forces have the right to any extensions, then parliament is supreme to all the institutions. “After five years, there will also be a demand from within parliament seeking an extension for another five years because it has supremacy over other institutions,” he said.

The JUIF chief observed those on top of the institutions were worried about extension in their tenure but were not bothered with reforming and strengthening their institutions. “This tradition of granting extension is wrong whether it is in the judiciary, armed forces or the bureaucracy,” he added. Regretting the attack on the Parliament House, the JUIF chief said that the House under the speaker’s leadership should have been closed for three days as a protest. “This is not only high-handedness with the opposition members but also a breach of privilege of all the members and the sanctity of the House,” he said. Strongly condemning the incident, Fazl, however, appreciated the role of the speaker.

Fazl also expressed his concerns over the law & order situation in many parts of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces saying that people sitting in Islamabad were not aware of the sensitivity of the situation. He said that in Bajaur, Dera Ismail Khan and other parts of KP, the police personnel are asked to stay inside the police stations after sunset as all roads are under the control of armed men. So much so, he said, mosques in rural areas are also under their control. He questioned where was the state, saying whether their writ was only confined to Islamabad. “Is it their duty to invade the houses of their rivals in the name of protecting the state,” he said.

Fazl told the House the police are staging a sit-in in Lakki Marwat and the same trend might also spread to Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu and other areas. “You should at least listen to grievances of police and establish the writ of the state,” he said.