Lawmakers wary of harassment of families

The opposition lawmakers raised the issue of harassment and disappearance of their colleagues during the separate sessions of the National Assembly and the Senate, and warned the government to desist from these high-handed tactics to fetch votes for the proposed constitutional amendment package.

Some treasury National Assembly members (MNAs) as well as senators also sided with the opposition lawmakers on the harassment issue, as well as raid on the lodge of Balochistan National Party (BNM) chief Akhtar Mengal.

During the sessions, the MNAs passed a resolution congratulating the government on the successful holding of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit. The Senate, meanwhile, offered Fateha for 22 labourers recently killed in Dukki.

In the Senate session, chaired by Chairman Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, a senator from Balochistan, Naseema Ehsan complained against the violation of the privacy her house. With teary eyes, she said that all the issues could be resolved through dialogue.

During her speech, Senator Sherry Rehman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Anusha Rehman of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and other women senators approached her seat and expressed solidarity. Senator Ehsan later walked out of the house.

Later, Kamran Murtaza of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), who also belongs to Balochistan, said that seven to eight resignations would come if this situation continued. "like Akhtar Mengal, I will also resign," he warned.

Murtaza, while condemning the "harassment" of Awami National Party (ANP) members, said that this was not the way to seek vote. "In this way you may succeed in getting the votes but it is wrong … it hammers a nail in the heart," he said.

ANP senator from Balochistan Umar Farooq said that people were being harassed to get their votes. He warned that with this tactics, situation could get out of hands. ANP parliamentary leader in the Senate, Aimal Wali Khan raised the issue of besieging of the house of Akhtar Mengal.

Senator Irfan Siddiqui, the parliamentary leader of the ruling PML-N, condemned the siege of Mengal's lodge, saying: "What happened is shameful. It could not be supported, neither in past nor in present."

Senator Ali Zafar of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said only three of his party members had come to the house because there were fears that the lawmakers could be "kidnapped" to force them to vote for the constitutional amendment.

National Assembly

Also, in the National Assembly session, chaired by Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, the MNAs raised the issue of harassment of the families of the lawmakers and demanded an investigation into the disappearances of PTI and PPP members.

Opposition Leader Umar Ayub accused the government of being behind these forced disappearances of the lawmakers, saying that when their numbers for the constitutional amendment were not complete, the opposition members were being kidnapped.

He also questioned the rationale behind the proposal for the creation of a constitutional court. There were over 60,000 pending cases, he said, but the constitutional court was being established for only 148 case. He also criticised the government rushing the amendment package.

Syed Ali Musa Gilani of the PPP condemned the harassment of the wife of PTI leader Zain Qureshi and demanded an investigation into the matter. "If this happens to the families of the members, then we also have to think whether or not, we should be a part of this system."

Former speaker and PTI leader Asad Qaiser said that the issue of the amendments to the Constitution was a very sensitive issue. "We fear that there are other motives behind it," he said. "Members are attacked in parliament. Currently, there is a crackdown against our parliamentarians."

Information Minister Atta Tarar criticised the PTI for not speaking in favour of the Palestinians or condemning the Israeli atrocities. "The PTI even refused to participate in the all parties conference called on the Palestine issue," he said.

He accused the PTI for hatching a conspiracy to sabotage the SCO conference. He also said that a political party tried to disrupt peace and order through student protest, adding that all these facts had been placed before the public and "action is being taken under the defamation law".