Babar Awan held at gunpoint
Awan stopped at gunpoint by soldiers of Pak Army in pursuit of ensuring smooth movement of army chief's...
ISLAMABAD:
Taking notice of two army soldiers pointing guns at Federal Law Minister Babar Awan, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Faisal Karim Kundi demanded that the government submit an inquiry report of the incident within two days.
Babar Awan, who was travelling in a vehicle bearing national flags, was allegedly stopped at gunpoint by soldiers of the Pakistan Army in pursuit of ensuring the smooth and uninterrupted movement of the army chief’s motorcade on Constitution Avenue. This army ‘highhandedness’ did not go particularly well with the opposition benches in the NA, who were fervently vocal on the house’s floor about the ‘humiliating’ incident.
The minister himself or any other government official did not file any complaint of the incident, said police, who were unsure of the minister’s identity.
‘All I know is that a minister was allegedly stopped by the army officials during the ‘route’ for the movement of either army chief or the prime minister’ said a police official.
Chaudhry Nisar, the opposition leader in NA, equated the incident to ‘ridiculing’ the sanctity of the parliament.
‘They have no right to stop people like this. Tomorrow if they will stop me, I will not stop. We only respect the army that acts constitutionally’ vowed Nisar.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 9th, 2010.
Taking notice of two army soldiers pointing guns at Federal Law Minister Babar Awan, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Faisal Karim Kundi demanded that the government submit an inquiry report of the incident within two days.
Babar Awan, who was travelling in a vehicle bearing national flags, was allegedly stopped at gunpoint by soldiers of the Pakistan Army in pursuit of ensuring the smooth and uninterrupted movement of the army chief’s motorcade on Constitution Avenue. This army ‘highhandedness’ did not go particularly well with the opposition benches in the NA, who were fervently vocal on the house’s floor about the ‘humiliating’ incident.
The minister himself or any other government official did not file any complaint of the incident, said police, who were unsure of the minister’s identity.
‘All I know is that a minister was allegedly stopped by the army officials during the ‘route’ for the movement of either army chief or the prime minister’ said a police official.
Chaudhry Nisar, the opposition leader in NA, equated the incident to ‘ridiculing’ the sanctity of the parliament.
‘They have no right to stop people like this. Tomorrow if they will stop me, I will not stop. We only respect the army that acts constitutionally’ vowed Nisar.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 9th, 2010.