Pandemonium mars inaugural session as newly elected MNAs sworn in

ISLAMABAD: There does not seem to be an easy sailing for the upcoming treasury benches in the lower house of parliament in the days to come as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed members of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) registered a strong protest mainly targeting the Pakistan Muslim League (PMLN) leadership on the maiden day of the inaugural session of the 16th National Assembly here on Thursday.

Outgoing National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf administered oath to the newly-elected MNAs, including top leadership of PMLN, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) and other parties who were sitting in the front rows.

PMLN supremo Nawaz Sharif, President Shehbaz Sharif, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari, JUIF chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, PTI Secretary General Omar Ayub and Barrister Gohar Ali Khan were among those who took oath as MNAs. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and Aseefa Bhutto Zardari were also present in the visitors galleries.

According to the National Assembly Secretariat, a total of 302 members were sworn in as MNAs on the first day of the session amid uproar. The SIC members entered the House before the start of proceedings while carrying posters of PTI founder Imran Khan while some were wearing face masks to express solidarity with the imprisoned leader. The SIC protesting members, while hooting and raising slogans, targeted only the PMLN leadership while sparing leaders of the PPP and other allied parties.

One of the SIC members hurled a face mask towards Nawaz Sharif when he arrived on the dais to sign the roll of members. However, the mask narrowly missed the former prime minister who was taken to the dais under protection of PMLN members. They continued to raise slogans against the top PMLN leaders and ‘fake mandate’. However, they returned to their seats for the formal start of the session with the recitation from the Holy Quran and took oath as MPs.

The PMLN parliamentarians paid them in the same coin. Some of the PMLN members were also carrying portraits of Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif but showed patience in the face of hooting from the SIC members and avoided any physical clash with them. Khawaja Asif, in response to slogans from protesting members, waved his wristwatch towards them. Some PTI and PMLN supporters sitting in the visitors galleries also raised slogans but were immediately silenced by the speaker who warned them of ouster from the hall.

PPP parliamentarians raised slogans only to welcome Asif Zardari and Bilawal and refrained from indulging in the exchange of slogans between the PMLN and SIC members. The National Assembly Secretariat cancelled the cards of visitors which were issued for the opening day to avoid any interference from supporters of parties from galleries. However, the MNAs were allowed to bring one or two guests with them. A large number of guests who previously were issued invitation cards kept waiting outside parliament not knowing the fact that their cards had been cancelled.

Meanwhile, the elections for National Assembly speaker and deputy speaker will be held today (Friday). The secretariat has also announced the schedule of the election of the leader of house in the National Assembly (prime minister), which would take place on March 03 (Sunday). The nomination papers will be received by 2 pm on Saturday. The newly-elected prime minister will take the oath of office from the president the same day.

The NA Secretariat on Thursday also received nomination papers from candidates contesting elections of the speaker and deputy speaker. Former speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq of PMLN is the joint candidate of six allied parties while SIC has pitched Malik Aamer Dogar for the seat of speaker. They filed their nomination papers. Veteran PPP parliamentarian Ghulam Mustafa Shah and Junaid Akbar of the SIC are candidates for the deputy speaker’s position.

Meanwhile, PTI senior leader Barrister Gohar Ali Khan sought a ruling from the chair against the Election Commission of Pakistan for not allowing 20 seats of women and three seats of minorities from the reserved quota. Speaking on a point of order after the newly elected MNAs had taken the oath, Barrister Gohar said that as per the Constitution and Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the House, the inaugural session of the National Assembly could not meet till the House was complete. He said that they were grateful to Allah Almighty that they finally made it to parliament despite massive rigging during and after the polls and obstacles created during the election campaign. The parliamentarian said that the mandate from the people is secured on Form 45 and not on Form 47, adding that the PTI-backed candidates are winners of 180 National Assembly seats as per the Form 45.

He said that according to the Supreme Court judgement, no person not having the mandate of people could sneak into the hall of National Assembly. “But there are strangers sitting on our left,” the PTI leader said while pointing fingers towards the PMLN members. The speaker adjourned the proceedings of the House till Friday (today) at 10 am after the SIC members created an uproar when Khawaja Asif arose to respond to a point of order. As SIC members raised slogans, Khawaja Asif waved his wristwatch towards them.

Meanwhile, a delegation of the PMLN coalition parties held a meeting with an MQMP team during which the Muttahida assured of their complete support for the vote for the speaker, deputy speaker and prime minister. Talking to the media after the meeting, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq confirmed that MQMP has assured its support to the PMLN and its coalition partners. MQMP Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said that democracy was moving forward with continuity and its benefits should also reach the people. “We have assured the delegation that we will vote [for them].”

Meanwhile, talking to a group of reporters outside the Parliament House, PTI senior leader and party’s nominated candidate for the prime ministerial slot Omar Ayub Khan said that Imran Khan will be sitting as the prime minister in parliament soon. He alleged that neither the “incapable PDM regime” could carry out structural reforms in institutions and sectors like FBR and energy sector previously nor would it be able to do so now. About the party’s letter to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concerning elections audit, he clarified that the party had made it clear already that no hurdle would be created in the way of state interests. However, he emphasized that the lending agencies in the world always wanted transparent use of their funds and for this structural reforms were imperative.

Omar Ayub said that only the PTI and its leader Imran Khan were capable of doing such reforms while the rest had no such ability. To a question, he said the public had given his party an overwhelming mandate and, in return, the party would serve them.

Meanwhile, the PTI spokesperson decried that Pakistan had been made a laughing stock in the world once again, as mandate thieves and looters of the country’s resources assembled in the august house (National Assembly) for oath-taking despite being rejected by the masses. He strongly reacted to the convening of what he called the fake session of the ‘incomplete’ National Assembly and said that the same crooks, who were imposed on the nation in the form of an infamous imported government in April 2022, took oath once again after fraudulently reaching the lower house of parliament.

He lamented that the characters who brought the country to the verge of bankruptcy and plunged the nation deep into a quagmire during the PDM era, shamelessly took oath despite lacking legitimacy and public mandate. He warned that giving the reins of the country to the party having only 17 National Assembly seats under an unpractical scheme would have serious negative implications, as it could trigger serious economic and political instability in the country.

He made it clear that PTI founding Chairman Imran Khan and the party’s legislators having the legitimate and real public mandate would never allow the mandate thieves to violate the Constitution and law and rob the people’s rights. Those who dreamed of removing Imran Khan from the political arena faced humiliation on the floor of the House.

Separately, talking to journalists in Rawalpindi outside the Adiala Jail, PTI senior leader Shoaib Shaheen said, “We will file a petition under Article 184(3) in the Supreme Court and present evidence how rigging was done in connivance with the ECP and ROs. We are ready to open all constituencies of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Shehbaz Sharif is the enemy of 250 million people of Pakistan. Maryam Nawaz is a puppet, as she has no authority to rule.”

He further said: “The reserved seats are our right and the Election Commission is doing a lot against the PTI at every step.” The PTI leader said that he met Imran Khan and discussed the situation. He was hopeful that the Supreme Court would give them justice.

Shoaib Shaheen alleged that on the night of the elections, through Form 47, a robbery was committed against his party to the benefit of others. He believed that rigging would not bring political stability. If there was political stability in the country, only then investment would come. The agreement with the IMF would increase electricity and gas bills.

He regretted that the electricity per unit tariff had gone up to Rs70, and similarly gas had become very expensive. If the tariff continues increasing at this pace, the gas bill of the common man would go up to Rs1 lakh. The PTI leader asked in these circumstances, how would a businessman run his business. In these circumstances, the upcoming government could not run without the support of the people.

Shoaib Shaheen said, “We had made the IMF agreement conditional with free and fair elections. Look at the amount of interest and income. How they would repay the loan.” He said that in the case of PDM [Pakistan Democratic Movement], there would be more destruction than what has already happened; the real custodians of the country should be allowed to run the country.

Meanwhile, a delegation of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) held a detailed meeting with the JUIF chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman here and both sides in principle agreed to form a nationwide alliance to launch a struggle. PTI leaders Omar Ayub and Asad Qaiser were also part of the meeting which took many by surprise. The two sides discussed in detail the political situation in the backdrop of February 8 general elections. Talking to journalists after the meeting, Asad Qaiser said they met Maulana Fazl, adding that the positions of both sides were similar. He said the Feb 8 elections were the biggest rigged polls in history.

According to Form 45, he made it clear that they did not seek Maulana’s votes for their candidates but talked about the supremacy of the Constitution and the rule of law. He said they would also meet other like-minded political parties. “It is our collective responsibility to present the facts before the nation,” he contended. “I never said that my brother should be made KP Assembly speaker,” Asad Qaiser clarified.

Meanwhile, talking informally to media persons after taking oath as an MNA, JUIF chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman announced to boycott the elections of the prime minister, NA speaker and deputy speaker. He said that his party did not consider the House as the true representative of the people. “This is our policy that we will sit on opposition benches and will not use our votes in election of prime minister, speaker and deputy speaker,” he said.

Fazl expressed doubts over the National Assembly completing the five-year term. “It’s not an assembly, it’s something else,” he said while responding to a query. He alleged that the House was representing the establishment more than it was representing the people.

In response to a question regarding JUIF’s strategy for a protest movement, he said: “Wait for it. We will represent the nation soon.” Fazl told a questioner that he did not meet Nawaz or Shehbaz in the Parliament House. He said that a delegation comprising leaders from the PMLN, PPP, Balochistan Awami Party and other allies met him late Wednesday night. “We had good discussions but we have decided to sit on opposition benches,” he said.

The JUIF will sit on the opposition benches with a total strength of eight members, including two women members on reserved seats.