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The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday sought clarification from the federal government regarding the possible military trial of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan.
“The PTI founder is a civilian, and the military trial of a civilian is a matter of concern for the petitioner and the court,” Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb remarked while hearing Khan’s plea.
Citing the statement of Director General (DG) Inter Service Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Ahmed Sharif, Justice Hassan advised the federation to submit its stance on Khan’s possible military trial.
On September 3, Khan filed a plea under Article 199 of the constitution amid speculation of his military trial.
Among several cases, Khan is currently incarcerated for the May 9 riots.
Earlier, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had remarked that there is a possibility of Khan’s military trial based on “evidence against him.”
Ten Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers have been produced in the parliament on Thursday to participate in the National Assembly (NA) session.
Under the watch of a heavy squad, federal capital police handed over Members of the National Assembly (MNA) Sher Afzal Marwat, Malik Owais Jhakar, Malik Amar Dogar, Zain Qureshi, Ahmad Chatha, Zubair Khan Wazir, Syed Ahmad Shah, Syed Naseem Ali Shah, Yousaf Khan, and Shiekh Waqas Akram to Sergeant-at-Arms.
Earlier, Speaker NA Ayaz Sadiq had ordered the production of lawmakers who were apprehended from parliament premises.
Sadiq had also suspended five officials after the MNAs were arrested from parliament.
Meanwhile, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has suspended the order for the physical remand of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders.
Yesterday, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) approved the physical remand of six PTI leaders and 30 others for violating a new public protest law.
Founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, has shared a message from her brother pertaining to the September 10 arrests of PTI lawmakers from parliament premises.
She claimed in the tweet that Khan received information from credible and reliable sources, which disclosed, “A decision has been taken to eliminate Imran Khan.”
The former Prime Minister claimed that a plan had been made to finish him in the style of former Egyptian President Mohammad Morsi.
While lambasting the country’s premier intelligence agency, Khan claims, “Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) controls Adiala jail Rawalpindi.”
Aleema Khan stated that all concocted cases have been cleared against Khan, but he is still in prison.
On Tuesday at midnight 3 AM, plain clothes men entered the parliament, cut the electricity supply, and arrested at least six PTI legislators.
Chairman PTI Barrister Gohar Khan, Sher Afzal Marwat, Advocate Shoaib Shaheen, and Zain Qureshi were also arrested. Gohar was released after a brief detention.
Speaking at parliament yesterday, Gohar clarified that the rally was delayed amid road blockages, which prevented the Chief Minister (CM) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Ali Amin Gandapur, from reaching the Sangjani area for the rally.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur resurfaced in the public at a ceremony of the Peshawar Bar Council Association on Wednesday, one day after disappearing for a few hours after the controversial September 8 party rally.
Gandapur remained defiant in his stance, saying, “I want to give a message to our leader [Imran Khan] that we support your ideology.”
After the CM KP gave an explosive speech targeting the military establishment, the government and journalists at the September 8 rally, a crackdown began against PTI MNAs later that night while Gandapur himself was unreachable for a few hours.
The CM of KP assailed the military for its failure to deal with terrorism in the province, announcing that he would send a delegation to Afghanistan to resolve the issue through negotiations. “Keep your policies with you,” he said.
“As a province leader, I will speak to Afghanistan. I will send a delegation to Afghanistan. I will speak to them, and through negotiations, I will resolve this issue and save lives,” said Gandapur.
Addressing bar members, he asked state institutions to mend their ways for their own and the country’s benefit.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarrrar yesterday (September 11) spoke on the floor of the house in the National Assembly and claimed that the law was not violated when PTI MNAs were arrested on Monday night.
The minister claimed that video evidence available with the office of the speaker of the National Assembly shows no violation of law, as PTI members of the parliament were arrested outside the parliament’s premises.
“Some videos have come to our notice, and there was evidence proving that no one was arrested from inside the House,” he said, adding that evidence inside the speaker’s office shows that people were arrested from outside the parliament, near a checkpost.
Tarrar kept on stressing that these videos should be examined; either they (the opposition) deny the evidence, or if it turns out to be true, then the government can talk to them about it.
On the contrary, PTI leader Barrister Gohar spoke to the house and asserted that he and other party members were inside the parliament and were dragged out by “masked men” who had the keys to their rooms. The videos, he argued, were made outside the parliament.
“The two of us who were arrested from outside the parliament were actually not arrested outside the parliament. The time I sat in that car, there were others present with the walkie talkies and they were talking about who was taken where. They took me to the gate,” he said, implying that he was taken into custody from inside.
PTI has declared the arrests illegal and barbaric.
We asked renowned journalist Azaz Syed if claims MNAs being arrested from inside the parliament are correct or not. He said, “Some of the leaders were arrested from outside the parliament but two of them, according to my sources, were arrested from inside, one being Nasim Ali Shah.”
Commenting on legality, Azaz replied, “It is not illegal, but a sheer contradiction to traditions as the police entering the premises of the parliament is unheard of and not appreciated at all.”
Lawyer and activist Jibran Nasir posted a detailed note elaborating upon the law rule 106 of the 2007 Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the assembly stating that “No member shall be arrested from within the precincts of the Assembly without the permission of the Speaker.”
He went on to shed light on the precincts of the National Assembly, “which includes the Chamber, lobbies, the galleries, offices attached to the Parliament and parking lots, offices which are in use of the Assembly, the places which are part of the Parliament building and such other places as the Speaker may from time to time specify.”
Nasir opined that all the arrests made today at the parliament are illegal unless the speaker had expressly granted permission for the same.
Lawyer and analyst Reema Omer also posted about Rule 106 and highlighted Rule 103, which delineates that “when a member is arrested, authorities shall immediately inform the speaker indicating reasons for arrest plus place of detention.”
Notably, footage of PTI leader Zubair Khan being dragged by the police from inside the parliament made waves all across the internet, debunking Tarar’s claim that no one was arrested from inside the parliament.
Dawn claims that police had been deployed outside Parliament House for hours before unmarked vehicles arrived on the scene.
Verifying the claims made by netizens, Dawn also confirmed that the electricity of the parliament building was disconnected during the raid.
“Subsequently, MNAs Zain Qureshi, Amir Dogar, Sheikh Waqqas Akram, and Naseem Ali Shah along with others were brought out from Parliament House and handed over to police for legal action,” Dawn reports.
Three of the four vehicles were reported to have left the premises, and the MNAs were bundled into different cars.
After this episode, the power supply was restored, and the ‘under custody’ MNAs were brought out of the building through the Cabinet Division gate, where they were ‘rearrested’ by the police, according to Dawn’s report.
Videos of Zain Qureshi talking to the media inside the court he was presented in also emerged in which he, contrary to Tarrar’s claim, said that he, being a “sitting member” of the parliament, was arrested by the police.
The incumbent government led by Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif intends to extend the judge’s tenure as soon as it secures enough votes in the Upper House.
The incumbent government is only three votes short in the Senate to amend the tenure of Supreme Court and High Court judges, a government source told Geo News.
Government sources further revealed that the incumbent government has achieved a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly (NA). Once the Senate’s majority is secured, Parliament will pass constitutional amendments.
After constitutional amendments, the tenure of Supreme Court judges will be extended to sixty-eight years of age, and that of High Court judges will be extended to sixty-five years of age.
Earlier, Federal Minister for Law Azam Nazeer Tarar had remarked that suggestions for extending the judge’s tenure could be considered. Meanwhile, Chief Justice Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa had vehemently rejected the extension offer.
Discussion at the National Assembly (NA) turned heated following the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers from the Parliament premises. At the same time, chairman PTI Barrister Gohar Khan announced a boycott of the NA proceeding.
Commenting on the First Information Report (FIR) registered against PTI lawmakers based on a new Public Order Act, Barrister Gohar said that no other country has a law to register complaints against the delay of a rally.
He cleared that complaints had been lodged against him for carrying a gun and pistols alongside him, raising the question of FIR authenticity.
He stated that the rally was delayed amid road blockages, which prevented the Chief Minister (CM) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Ali Amin Gandapur, from reaching the Sangjani area for the rally.
Recording a party protest, Barrister stressed, “Except nine to ten PTI lawmakers, no other MNA would attend the NA proceedings until the September 10 inquiry.”
Responding to Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto’s concerns about the PTI’s lawmaker resignation from Parliament, Gohar clarified: “Under no circumstance would the PTI resign from the parliament or any assembly, nor have we announced as such.”
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Atta Tarar has claimed that CCTV footage evidence shows no Member National Assembly (MNA) were arrested from parliament premises by federal capital police, which the opposition vehemently rejected.
Responding to the MNA’s arrest from parliament premises, Bilawal said, “If the government functions only to plan who to arrest today, don’t be happy; we (all lawmakers) are next in the queue.”
“Opposition shining his politics by the harsh language against journalists and judges,” he said.
He said the PTI’s leadership can fight the case for Imran Khan but, in parliament, serve the people of Pakistan.
“Constructively criticise the incumbent government instead of abusing,” he further advised.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif remarked, “No MNA would have been apprehended if CM KP Gandapur hadn’t used controversial language.”
“Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leaders have been imprisoned in the past to save democracy, but why is there so much drama on Khan’s arrest?” he concluded.
Speaker of the National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has suspended five security officers for four months after the arrest of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers from parliament premises.
The National Assembly Secretariat issued an order of suspension of the officials, including Sergeant-at-Arms (BPS-20) Muhammad Ishfaq Ashraf.
The order read, “During the period of his suspension, he will be entitled to draw pay and allowances as admissible under the applicable rules.”
In a joint parliament session today, Sadiq ordered an immediate and thorough investigation into the arrest of Members of the National Assembly (MNA).
During the meeting, Sadiq stated that no compromise would be tolerated on the dignity and prestige of the parliament.
On Tuesday at midnight 3 AM, plain clothes men entered the parliament, cut the electricity, and arrested at least six PTI’s legislators.
An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) has approved the physical remand of six Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders and thirty others for violating a new public protest law.
Lawmakers associated with PTI including Sher Afzal Marwat, Zain Qureshi, Naseem Shah, Amir Dogar, Ahmed Chattha, are charged in connection with the Sanghjani police station case.
However, PTI bigwig, advocate Shoaib Shaheen is exempted from physical remand, but the court has advised sending him to judicial custody.
Earlier, the Federal Capital Administration allotted a three-hour time slot from 4 PM to 7 PM for the rally at Sangjani, which was violated by PTI leadership, resulting in a crackdown.
Chairman PTI Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Advocate Shoaib Shaheen, and Sher Afzal Marwat, were arrested from parliament premises.
However, Islamabad police released barrister Khan after a few hours of detention.
Senior journalist Absar Alam, while talking on Samaa news, warned of increasing political instability and the possibility of Governor’s Rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province after the KP Assembly issued a resolution on September 10, demanding court marital of army officers allegedly involved in politics.
The resolution demanded that state institutions must remain within their constitutional domain while calling their actions against elected leaders ‘high treason.’
Absar Alam noted that the political situation is quite concerning. He also stated that a parliamentary party meeting occurred at CM KP’s house in which Ali Amin Gandapur assured provincial ministers that he stands by every word he spoke at the recent PTI’s rally on September 8.
Absar stated that the ministers assure the CM of their support and vowed that much harsher language would used in future political rallies.
“This kind of resolution is unprecedented and historically, we have not seen such harsh resolutions. If the situation does not improve then I think that the federal government might consider imposing Governor’s rule in KP,” warned Absar Alam.
