Lawmakers’ concerns: PTI appears stumped over questions raised

Says it does not have the ‘benefit of knowledge’

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has expressed its inability to field questions raised by a few political parties about the prime minister’s removal under threat of violence, as well as ‘misrepresentation’ of the army’s support for the sit-ins.

Submitting a reply in the Supreme Court on Monday, the PTI’s counsel Yousaf Khosa said the party did not have the ‘benefit of knowledge’ of the concerns raised by political parties and, therefore, it was unable to respond specifically to their apprehension.

Senior parliamentarian Raza Rabbani, while representing the Awami National Party (ANP) and the Balochistan National Party (BNP) on September 10, had expressed apprehensions before the apex court and raised three questions.

Their first question was whether any political party or any other group could seek to disengage a constitutional office bearer (prime minister) from his office under threat of violence or use of force.

They also asked as to whether any political leader could legitimately involve Pakistan Army in his designs to achieve his unconstitutional objectives by attempting to reassure his followers that the army would determine the future course of his action.

The third question was as to whether “a political leader can misrepresent the support of Pakistan Army to their cause in public or private communications, thereby compromising the image of a national institution.”

The court had directed the protesting parties to submit a reply  within three days.

The PTI’s reply further said the party would not support any extra-constitutional step in the prevailing situation and would also oppose any such moves. The guiding principles of the Constitution, democracy, freedom, equality, tolerance and social justice are part of the party’s manifesto, it said. “The answering respondent (the PTI) is not only exercising its rights of existence by awakening the people to their rights and obligations of the present government in a democratic society within the framework of the Constitution but also propagating… the true supremacy of the Constitution, which includes Article 218 of the same,” the reply ran.

Referring to Article 4 of the Constitution, it said no action detrimental to the life, or property of any person can be taken except in accordance with law.

Another member of the PTI’s legal team expressed surprise over the response. “It is the best chance that we can give a categorical statement regarding the alleged role of the army in the ongoing sit-ins,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 16^th, 2014.