Tag: Parliament House

  • Arrested PTI MNAs presented in parliament

    Arrested PTI MNAs presented in parliament

    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.

  • Asad Qaiser summons NA session on March 25, Opposition calls for trial of Speaker under Article 6

    Asad Qaiser summons NA session on March 25, Opposition calls for trial of Speaker under Article 6

    National Assembly (NA) Speaker Asad Qaiser has summoned a session of the lower house of parliament on March 25. The NA session will be held at the Parliament House on Friday at 11am. The 14-day constitutional deadline to convene the NA session on the Opposition’s requisition will expire on March 21 (today).

    Sources told the media that the session will offer fateha for PTI MNA Haji Khayal Zaman who recently passed away, after which the Speaker has the “discretionary power” to continue or adjourn the session.

    Opposition parties on Sunday slammed Qaiser for not convening the assembly session within 14 days of its requisition, demanding that he should be tried under Article 6 of the Constitution.

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari expressed hope that the Supreme Court would take notice of the violation of the Constitution by the Speaker.

    “This coward captain [the PM] is running away from the vote of no confidence. He is escaping to the extent that he has made the speaker abrogate the Constitution,” said Bilawal.

    Article 6 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan states, “Any person who abrogates or subverts or suspends or holds in abeyance, or attempts or conspires to abrogate or subvert or suspend or hold in abeyance, the Constitution by use of force or show of force or by any other unconstitutional means shall be guilty of high treason.”

    The second clause adds that any person aiding, abetting, or collaborating in the acts will also be considered guilty of high treason.

    Clause 2A says that an act of high treason cannot be validated by any court, including the Supreme Court (SC) and a High Court.”

  • ‘Zaalim ki pakar bohat sakht hoti hai’, Maryam Nawaz criticises PM Khan

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz appeared before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday for her appeal hearing regarding the annulment of her conviction in the Avenfield apartments reference case.

    After the hearing, while talking to the media, Maryam said, “The man who had announced the conviction [in the Al Azizia reference] gave a statement expressing the truth about Nawaz Sharif in his life.”

    “Today we have the third major testimony from within the judiciary after the testimonies of late accountability judge Arshad Malik and former Justice of the Islamabad High Court Shaukat Aziz,” said Maryam.

    “Zaalim ki pakar bohat sakht hoti hai‘ (The punishment of a cruel person is very severe)”, said Maryam, adding, “They knew that the oppressors’ days [government] were numbered but didn’t expect the truth would come to light so soon.”

    “I respect Ansar Abbasi, he is a credible journalist. Truth is not an insult,” she added while saying that Ansar has also spoken against PML-N.

    “Whatever [Prime Minister] Imran Khan is doing to us that is all because of [Ex- Chief Justice of Pakistan] Saqib Nisar. He is the one who gave him ‘Sadiq and Amin’ title,” Maryam said and demanded a free and fair election.

    Talking about her hearing, Maryam Nawaz said that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has asked for two weeks’ extension.

    Maryam filed a new appeal on October 5 in the IHC seeking annulment of the verdict in the reference.

    A day earlier, upon a question related to Maryam Nawaz’s petition, former President Asif Ali Zardari said he would not talk about it and referred to Maryam as his “daughter“.

    Zardari said, “Maryam Nawaz is like a daughter to me. What comment should I make on my daughter?”

    According to a copy of the petition available with Dawn, Maryam’s latest application was filed “in consequence of certain extremely relevant, simple and clear-cut facts which have come to light after the pronouncement of judgment and sentence” in the case.

    In the petition, Maryam stated that the entire proceedings that resulted in her conviction were a “classic example of outright violations of law and political engineering hitherto unheard of in the history of Pakistan”.

    In a hearing on October 13, her lawyer had argued that legal procedure was not followed in the reference. After the hearing, the court had directed NAB to present its arguments at the next hearing. The case was adjourned until November 17 (today).

  • ‘Kaptaan bhaag gaya’: Opposition criticises govt for postponing joint Parliament session

    ‘Kaptaan bhaag gaya’: Opposition criticises govt for postponing joint Parliament session

    Opposition Leader in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari termed the government’s decision of postponing the joint Parliament session as their victory.

    “Imran Niazi should resign after it was clearly exposed that he had lost the trust of his members and allies,” said Shehbaz.

    “The hasty convening of the joint meeting and then the hasty adjournment shows the seriousness of the government that had made sensitive and serious issues like legislation a child’s play,” he said.

    “Those claiming to compete on the field have fled the field,” he said. Shehbaz Sharif said that the postponement of the joint session of the Parliament proves that the government has confirmed its defeat on the legislation of “black laws.”

    Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on Wednesday that the government postponed the Parliament’s joint session as it had “foreseen its defeat”.

    Taking to Twitter, Bilawal said “Kaptaan bhag gaya” (the captain ran away), sharing President Arif Alvi’s notification for the postponement of the session.

    “Yet another victory for the United Opposition in the Parliament today. Government ran away from joint sessions when they saw they would be defeated yet again. Kaptaan Bagh[sic] gaya,” tweeted Bilawal.

    Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry took to Twitter and announced that the joint parliamentary session, which was earlier called by President Dr Arif Alvi on Thursday (November 11) has been postponed.

  • Fawad Chaudhry says PM Khan will meet all candidates for DG ISI slot

    Fawad Chaudhry says PM Khan will meet all candidates for DG ISI slot

    Following the emergency meeting of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) parliamentary group at Parliament House yesterday, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry told the media that the notification regarding the appointment of new director-general (DG) Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency would be issued in two to three days, reports Dawn.

    Fawad denied that the premier would take interviews of the potential candidates but said: “Prime Minister Imran Khan will just meet all candidates (for the slot of DG ISI)”.

    No such interviews have been taken in the past by any prime minister. Rather the official who is selected as head of the ISI pays a goodwill visit to the prime minister after his appointment.

    However, during the parliamentary meeting, PM Khan assured the party leaders that the issue of the appointment of the new ISI chief has been amicably settled by him and Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa and that the government will complete its five-year term.

    Prior to the party meeting, Fawad Chaudhry while talking to reporters at Parliament House, said, “Everyone, at the turn of every hour, is trying to twist the matter to gain some popularity.”

  • VIDEO: Gun-touting man caught in Islamabad

    VIDEO: Gun-touting man caught in Islamabad

    A man wielding a gun was arrested from outside the Parliament House in Islamabad on Monday.

    Footage shows the man walking on the main road, waving a pistol in one hand and what seemed like a knife in the other. Several security officials appeared to surround him.

    Police said the arrested man was shifted to Secretariat Police Station and a pistol was confiscated from him.

    After arresting the suspect, police said the initial investigation revealed he is a 45-year-old man who lives in Rawalpindi’s Chakri area. 

    Police say the suspect is suffering from mental illness.

    Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said during a press conference that the weapon confiscated from the man had no bullets inside.

  • Imran gets clean chit in PTV, Parliament House attack case

    Imran gets clean chit in PTV, Parliament House attack case

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has been acquitted by an Islamabad anti-terrorism court (ATC) in a case pertaining to an attack on Parliament House in 2014.

    The verdict announced by ATC judge Raja Jawad Abbas Hassan absolved the prime minister of all the charges filed against him by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government. The court said it would indict Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Asad Umar, Pervaiz Khattak, Shafqat Mahmood at the next hearing on Nov 21.

    The court had on October 26 reserved its verdict on the PM’s acquittal plea in the case. The prime minister through his counsel Babar Awan had pleaded that court to quash the case against him. He had said the prosecution was no longer interested in pursuing the case.

     Awan had maintained that there was no evidence proving the involvement of the prime minister in the case. He had also mentioned that no eyewitness has come forward regarding this.

    In September 2014, hundreds of PTI and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) workers had attacked parliament premises and the PTV office in Islamabad during the 126-day protest against the then PML-N government.

    During the riot, at least 50 people were injured, including police officer Asmatullah Junejo. Subsequently, the government pressed terror charges against the PTI chairman and PAT chief Dr Tahirul Qadri.