Joint sitting opens with anti-Saqib Nisar slogans

ISLAMABAD: The joint parliamentary session opened on Wednesday with a protest by the governing coalition against former chief justice Saqib Nisar. Chants of “Baba Rehmatay, Baba Zehmatay” could be heard across the parliament.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senators boycotted the meeting, and the bulk of the opposition members, including PTI parliamentarians, were also not present. Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf presided over the joint sitting.

Following the release earlier this week of a purported audio recording of Saqib Nisar verbally abusing Maryam Nawaz, the chief organizer of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) and daughter of PMLN supremo Nawaz Sharif, members of the ruling coalition protested against the former chief justice.

The parliament was convened to make crucial choices about a campaign against the government being run by the party of former prime minister Imran Khan, as the nation fights to avoid financial default with elections just around the corner.

The joint meeting takes place as the PDM-led coalition government has threatened to crack down on the PTI, accusing it of acting like a terrorist organization and attacking state institutions, including the army, judiciary, and law enforcement.

In his remarks to the joint session, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah urged the legislature to grant “full powers” to law enforcement to thwart terrorists and armed organizations in the nation. Sanaullah said that PTI leader Imran had marched into Islamabad with armed groups, and that during a police search at his Zaman Park mansion in Lahore, Imran’s supporters had fired shots and hurled stones at law enforcement. He also stated that during the incident, the police did not fire a single shot at the PTI supporters. According to the agenda, the joint session of parliament will discuss eight important topics: population explosion, climate change consequences, economic policies, the Jammu and Kashmir issue, respect for national institutions, and law and order and terrorism.