Sindh PA passes resolution against arrest of Agha Siraj

KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Friday passed a resolution to condemn the arrest of its own Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the raid conducted by the NAB on his house during which female members of the speaker’s family allegedly faced harassment and detention.

The house on Friday continued its session for around five hours till late evening as most part of the proceedings was chaired by incarcerated Speaker Agha Siraj Khan Durrani, who was especially brought to the premises of the Sindh Assembly by the NAB officials for the session after his production orders were issued by Deputy Speaker of Sindh Assembly Rehana Leghari.

However, the speaker did not chair the proceedings of the house when the resolution about him was tabled and discussed in the house as that portion was chaired by the deputy speaker. The resolution on the issue of arrest of the speaker by the NAB and raid on his house was moved in the House by MPA of the ruling Pakistan People's Party Ghanwer Ali Khan Isran.

It stated: “This House categorically rejects targeted victimisation under the guise of accountability; rejects this selective and discriminatory accountability; vociferously renounces the way and manner of the arrest of Speaker Sindh Assembly Agha Siraj Khan Durrani without any offence being proved against him and unequivocally condemns the reprehensible manner in which the search of his home was conducted by the NAB officials, which went on for hours at a time when only his wife, daughters, and daughter-in-law were at home.

"This House also resolves and recommends to the Government and Chief Minister to approach the Federal Government to request an inquiry by Chairman NAB into the reprehensible behaviour of NAB officials, who raided Speaker Sindh Assembly’s house”.

The resolution on the issue of the arrest of Sindh Assembly speaker was supported by the treasury lawmakers belonging to the PPP and it was not supported by the MPAs of opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Grand Democratic Alliance, and Muttahida Quami Movement Pakistan.

The opposition legislators belonging to the PTI also staged a token walkout from the house when the resolution was presented as they wanted to table their resolutions first on the Kashmir issue to show solidarity with the people of Kashmir doing their struggle for freedom and right of self-determination in the Indian-occupied Kashmir.

Before the resolution was moved in the house on the arrest of Sindh Assembly speaker and raid on his house, the Speaker, Agha Siraj Khan Durrani, spoke about the incident on Wednesday last of his arrest and raid on his house.

The speaker said in the house that it was not his own personal issue but the very prestige and honour of the chair on which he was sitting, which compelled him to speak on the issue as the very honour of the chair of the house should be protected at all times.

The speaker said that personally he could go through all sorts of victimization and repression including imprisonment and hanging owing to his association and commitment with the political party whose leaders had laid down their lives for the cause of people and democracy in the country.

He said that speaker of the Sindh Assembly, which had passed the Pakistan Resolution, should not have gone through such suffering and misery as what had happened in the “New Pakistan” a few days back.

He said that NAB officials had gone after him in Islamabad and arrested him from a hotel where he had been lodged to attend a wedding ceremony in the federal capital. He said that there was no reason for the NAB team going all the way to Islamabad to arrest him when he was always available to them in Karachi for investigation and interrogation.

The speaker said that his family comprising wife, daughters, and daughter-in-law had gone through massive suffering when the NAB team raided his house in Karachi when no male member was present.

He said that the manner the NAB team had raided his house, then stayed there for around seven hours, and detained his female family members had no earlier precedent and the incident had caused massive tragedy and mental agony to his family members.

He said that nobody could tolerate such a treatment meted out to his female family members at the house in his absence as such an incident could not occur in a civilized and law-abiding society.

The speaker said that NAB team had raided his house without a search warrant and had he been present in the house, he would have given the raiding team a befitting response. The speaker said that he belonged to the Durrani tribe, which carried a rich culture and history of protecting their prestige and honour and that of their family members.

Durrani said that he was fully ready to face all the allegations and charges of corruption against him as for the purpose he had already handed over all the documents pertaining to his assets since 1985.

He said that he had faced sudden arrest at the hands of NAB team and earlier the accountability watchdog had never summoned him for questioning and interrogation. He claimed that he had never shied away from such an investigation by the NAB.

He said that his forefathers had actively participated in the movement for the creation of Pakistan and had signed the Pakistan Resolution from their blood. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, while speaking in the house, said that it was the success of the elected representatives of people of the country that the speaker after his arbitrary arrest had been brought to the house and given the opportunity to once again chair the proceedings of the assembly.

He said the founder of the Nation had the same vision that affairs of the nation should be run solely by the elected representatives of the people. “It is our collective victory,” said the CM.

Other concerned lawmakers in the house in their speeches also condemned the action of the NAB against the speaker and his family members. They said that accountability was being carried out in the country on a selective basis as people belonging to the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf were being given special favours and concessions.

He said the NAB authorities should have better arrested the prime minister, defence minister and chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the same manner as inquiries against them under the accountability charges were also pending.

Later, former president Asif Ali Zardari also came to the Sindh Assembly building to meet the Speaker Agha Siraj Khan Durrani. The Sindh CM greeted the former president on his arrival at the assembly building.