Govt, opposition trade barbs in Senate over ‘hasty’ convictions

ISLAMABAD: The treasury and the opposition in the Senate on Tuesday traded barbs and locked horns over what were called as hasty convictions and disqualifications of the lawmakers affiliated with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

The opposition, led by PTI senators, also stormed out of the House against “systematic throwing out” of their colleagues, and especially their leaders of opposition in the Senate, the National Assembly and the Punjab Assembly.

PTI warned against the “use of courts” as a weapon against political opponents, whereas the government advised the convicts to seek a legal recourse instead of blaming the government, as the House met for 353rd session with Chairman Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani in the chair. The Question-Hour was suspended on the opening day of the new session with mutual consent of the government and the opposition.

Parliamentary leader of PTI Barrister Syed Ali Zafar was the first to remind the government that “it would have to reap, what it is sowing today”, while questioning the series of convictions and instant disqualifications of the political opponents “sans a due process of law”. He rejected the hasty convictions as travesty of justice and charged that the courts were being used as a weapon to shower sentences on PTI lawmakers, leaders and workers. The House echoed with chants of “shame, shame” from the opposition benches, as Barrister Zafar lamented that leaders of the opposition in both houses of the parliament as well as Punjab Assembly had been convicted in false and fabricated cases. He came hard on the Election Commission of Pakistan for hastily issuing notification of disqualification of the lawmakers convicted through controversial verdicts of anti-terrorism courts (ATCs) in recent times.

He noted that what was being done in haste would be detrimental to democracy and warned that when the roots of a tree start decaying, the branches of the tree die. He also hurled a warning at those sitting on treasury benches that if the vicious cycle was allowed to continue, then tomorrow they can also be caught in the “rain of sentences”.

Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar maintained that conviction was a matter between the court and the accused. The minister said the moment a lawmaker was convicted, disqualification incurs and the ECP just announces it.

He pointed out that the only mechanism available to the convicted lawmakers was to file an appeal.

PTI’s Azam Swati said this was the time his party leaders and workers should accept conviction, disqualification and torture instead of compromising on principles laid down by their leader Imran Khan.

Responding to Ali Zafar’s speech, Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Vice President Senator Sherry Rehman said: “History is noting that we did not gloat at your distress but you did. Political arrests have never taken place during the PPP’s tenure in the past, nor will they ever happen now. Look at what was done with Faryal Talpur. She was taken at midnight from hospital when the doctor was advising against it. She went smiling in an armoured carrier”.

President Zardari, she added, was taken away from his house while he asked to give the arresting policemen tea; he had already spent 12 years in prison without a conviction. “During those years we never engaged in arson or rioting,” Ms Rehman said.

“And don’t tell me about foreign policy when you did your best to isolate Pakistan! When senior Chinese officials visited or tried to visit, their people left no stone unturned in protesting so much that the visits were cancelled; even CPEC was practically dismantled by them. We have been trying to fix the damage which they now can’t digest,” Senator Rehman asserted.

During her speech, PTI senators tried to interrupt her and then chanted slogans and began gathering in front of dais of the chairman. Unfazed, by the noisy protest, she continued her speech.

Senator Rehman asserted: “Your (PTI) intolerance ruined your first tenure, and the same is happening today. Tearing pages will not get you anywhere. Behaving abusively will not open any doors for you. No lessons have been learnt.”

PML-N parliamentary leader Irfan Siddiqui chided the PTI for creating noisy scenes and then staging walkout from the House. He emphasised that what Senator Sherry Rehman said was based on facts and not fiction. He referred to what treatment was meted out to PPP and PML-N leadership during PTI tenure and himself and how he was sent to jail on baseless FIRs.

Responding to a calling attention notice, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb agreed that indeed the figures that state-owned enterprises (SOEs) have incurred losses to the tune of Rs5.89 trillion during first half of financial year 2024-2025 were alarming. He explained that the cumulative losses and leakages of SOEs were around Rs6 trillion, while about Rs12 trillion revenues were collected in last financial year. He reiterated that the private sector had to lead and 24 SOEs had been handed over to the Privatisation Commission for sell-off.

He praised the Sindh government, saying the provincial government has created a good model of public-private partnership.

At the outset, newly elected senators from KP Muhammad Azam Swati and Mashal Yousafzai of PTI took oath as members of the Upper House.

Meanwhile, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution, reaffirming its unwavering commitment to safeguarding the constitutional, legal and human rights of all minorities, ensuring their dignity, security and equal status as citizens.

The resolution, moved by Senator Danesh Kumar, acknowledged the invaluable contributions of minorities in the development, progress, and unity of the nation on the National Day for Minorities, as the House urged the government to ensure effective implementation of constitutional provisions and legal protections for minorities.