Opposition slams coercive tactics to seek votes

PTI, JUI-F warn of massive street protests if amendment bulldozed

ISLAMABAD:

Opposition lawmakers in the National Assembly on Friday slammed the "coercive tactics used by the government" to muster votes for the passage of its proposed constitutional amendment bill from parliament, warning that bulldozing the legislation would lead to massive street protests.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) National Assembly Member (MNA) Ali Muhammad Khan and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) member Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri accused the government of kidnapping the lawmakers and violating the sanctity of their homes just to get their votes.

"On the one hand, the government is negotiating on the constitutional package but on the other, the members of the opposition are being kidnapped," Haideri told the National Assembly. You may torn us into pieces but we will not vote under pressure," he said.

"One of our senators has been kidnapped. A son of Qasim Ronjo, a senator of the Balochistan National Party Mengal (BNP-M), and a son and the husband of Senator Naseema Ehsan have been kidnapped," he claimed. "What kind of Constitution is it that you are trying to get votes by kidnapping members?"

He demanded of the government to release all the abducted parliamentarians and don't lure the opposition parliamentarians by offering them bribes. "If you amend the Constitution by artificial means, we will flood the streets with people," he added.

PTI's Ali Muhammad Khan also fired a broadside against the government for using coercive tactics to seek the lawmakers vote and warned the ruling coalition to desist from violating the dignity and sanctity of the women.

In a hard-hitting speech, Khan said that efforts were afoot to bulldoze the constitutional amendments through parliament. There arose the question, the PTI leader continued, as to what was the status of this parliament.

"If the government wants to amend the Constitution, it should do so, but do not violate the honour of our sisters and the sanctity of their privacy. You should amend the Constitution, but don't amend it by snatching women's [lawmakers] dignity," he said.

He mentioned that Fayaz Chajhra's son was tortured and it was shown live to his mother. "Do you want to get votes by torturing people," he asked. "Do you want a constitutional amendment through violating the sanctity of the people's privacy."

He asked the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman] Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif to clarify whether all this was happening "according to their will".

He also criticised the proposed constitutional amendments, asking whether the government wanted to make the chief justice of Pakistan a subordinate to the prime minister and the parliamentary committee. "Do you want subordinate judiciaary," he asked.

Ali Muhammad Khan pointed out that masked men took away 10 members from this house. The speaker, he added, had announced that first information report (FIR) would be filed against the masked people but where was that FIR.

He praised the PTI founder Imran Khan, saying that "my leader is the one, who told the Muslim leaders to create an Islamic block. He told the house that the amendment draft would be presented to Imran Khan, which he added did not include the military court.