PTI raises 'protest killings' issue

Opposition lawmakers in both house of parliament raised the issue of the alleged killing of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers in a crackdown on the protest march in Islamabad on November 26, and stressed the need for dialogue to cool down the political temperatures in the country.

In response to fiery speeches from PTI Chairman Gohar Khan in the National Assembly and by Shibli Faraz in the Senate, law minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar emphasised that the parliament was a better forum to discuss issues rather than the street protests and long marches.

Barrister Gohar said in the National Assembly that the PTI founder had formed a committee for negotiations, but warned that if the gesture was taken as the party's weakness, they would be forced to take the streets, once again.

"We want justice for the injustice committed against. We have formed a committee for negotiations, but it should not be considered as our weakness, If we are not given a way out through negotiations, we will come to the streets again, We should not be forced to come to the streets again and again," he said.

Gohar stressed that now the "dust of May 9 [2023 violence] must settle". He stressed that the PTI launched a protest on November but the protesters shot at. "Shots were fired in front of parliament," he said, adding: "It's strange that the government is not even ready to accept that the bullets were fired."

The PTI chairman lashed out at Defence Minister Khawaja Asif's remarks, saying that the minister's had brought up a strange logic that bullets were fired by the guards of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur. "Couldn't the government soothe wounds of our protesters," he said.

"Our people who came to protest were unarmed. We are being taunted for using the Pashtun card. We are not using the Pashtun card, Bring out any videos in which the PTI people used any kind of weapon," the PTI chairman said.

Responding to the speech, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said that he would congratulate the opposition leader for preferring to come to the parliament instead of resorting to violence. "Here, instead of hurling insults, we talk with arguments," he added.

Similar views were expressed Senate Opposition Leader Shibli Faraz. "November 26 will be remembered as a black day in the history of Pakistan. Shots were fired at the PTI protesters in D-Chowk, yet our party is ready to hold talks with anyone," Faraz said.

"We exercised our democratic and constitutional rights and carried out political activities. Bullets were fired, not to scare the protesters but to kill them. At this time, the death toll has risen to 13, as one of the injured persons has died," he added.

Faraz said that the PTI founder had formed a five-member committee for negotiations, which was ready to talk to everyone. "Let's sit down and talk for the betterment of the country," he said, emphasising that country could no longer afford any kind of destabilisation.

Responding the speech, Leader of the House Ishaq Dar stressed that lashing out at the federal government was not the solution to any problem. He said that if the PTI had any evidence of the protest deaths, it should provide evidence.