Parliament turned into Zia’s Majlis-e-Shoora: PTI

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser Friday alleged that Parliament has become Ziaul Haq’s Majlis-e-Shoora.

Talking to the media outside the Parliament House here, he charged that they (rulers) are violating the Constitution and law, and they have set a target that the PMLN has to be given 20 more seats. He wondered which Parliament will accept this whole process.

He said, “Why did you do all this process? Just to get the notification done. We will resist Insha Allah. This is a long war. We will make this country the Pakistan that belonged to Quaid-i-Azam.”

He claimed that whoever wanted to become a member of the National Assembly, he should give money to the Election Commission of Pakistan and beg. He acknowledged the fact that legislation was the right of Parliament but it (NA) was not an elected House.

Asad Qaiser said that the whole system was being run on (personal) likes and dislikes, and all this would end. “We will fight them in the House and also on the streets, the Assembly is not run like this,” he said.

He said that when PTI government used to bring the law, they would take the opposition into confidence, adding, “We will strongly protest. Mandate thieves are sitting here. Form 47 people are sitting here, we do not believe in them.”

The NA Speaker, he emphasised, should immediately issue a notification of the leader of the opposition, which has not yet been issued.

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said that constitutionally it was the responsibility of the ECP to conduct free and fair elections, and if anyone had failed in this responsibility, it was the Election Commission.

About the adoption of a resolution concerning ordinances, he said that the “law you want to change should be brought to the notice of all the members. Today [Friday] the government has moved forward with unconstitutional and illegal behavior”.

SIC’s nominated leader of opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub said, “We are smelling corruption and money in these ordinances. PPP members have also supported us, who were also not given the opportunity to read the ordinances. We do not have any contact with the IMF.”

He said that that privatisation of national institutions must be done, but its procedure should be transparent. The chief election commissioner has been given a lollipop by the ‘corrupt’ government for 20 NA seats, he alleged.