NA Speaker extends olive branch as PTI stages walkout

Business Recorder

2 days ago

ISLAMABAD: In a tense and tumultuous session of the National Assembly on Tuesday, Speaker Ayaz Sadiq extended an olive branch to the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), urging dialogue just moments before the party staged a dramatic walkout.
Presiding over the session, NA Speaker Sadiq reaffirmed his role as the custodian of the House and declared his willingness to facilitate negotiations between the government and PTI. 'Differences of opinion are the beauty of democracy,' he noted. 'But it is dialogue that ultimately serves the national interest.'
Despite the appeal, PTI lawmakers stage a walkout from the House, citing ongoing grievances over what they described as infringements upon their parliamentary privileges and conviction of the party's senior leaders.
The Speaker's remarks came in response to PTI leader Asad Qaiser's sharp intervention, during which he accused the government of systematically marginalising the opposition.
Sadiq pushed back, asserting that 'the Constitution, law, traditions and rules apply equally to all,' and stressed the need for mutual respect and adherence to democratic norms.
In a veiled reference to PTI's demands for production orders, Sadiq compared the situation with India, where opposition leader Rahul Gandhi was recently arrested without any such orders being issued.
He described the National Assembly as a 'grand jirga', calling on all political actors to work constructively in support of Parliament.
In one of the most startling moments of the day, Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazir Tarar revealed he had been offered Rs70 million to represent a shadowy political figure in court – a proposal he said he unequivocally rejected.
The bombshell revelation came amid heated debate over judicial independence, political vendettas, and the state's aggressive pursuit of PTI leaders.
The opposition PTI's Latif Khosa was especially scathing, branding the post-26th constitutional amendment period as a death knell' for both parliamentary sovereignty and judicial independence.
'The Assembly and judiciary have been buried,' he said, accusing courts of blocking access to lawyers and increasing fees to restrict justice for ordinary citizens.
Tarar strongly denied any government meddling in PTI-related court cases, attributing fee hikes to Supreme Court policy. 'I was offered Rs70 million to appear against a political personality (…) I turned it down,' he stated, without naming the individual involved.
As debate intensified, the chamber descended into a broader confrontation over military courts, the limits of parliamentary privilege, and the treatment of detained PTI leaders.
PTI's Iqbal Afridi accused Speaker Sadiq of enabling the forceful removal of ten opposition lawmakers and issued a stark warning: 'Tomorrow, PTI's Speaker will sit here. Retribution will be harsh.'
Sadiq, unshaken, responded coldly, 'This chair is temporary and it changes in the blink of an eye.'
The PTI lawmakers expressed deep unrest, insisting their communities wanted peace, not renewed operations in Bajaur and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry briefed the House on ongoing intelligence-based operations (IBOs) under the National Action Plan (NAP), coordinated closely with provincial authorities to combat terrorism.
About the demolition of a mosque and seminary on Murree Road, Chaudhry dismissed allegations of state overreach. He stated that the relocation had been carried out after extensive dialogue with the seminary's management, not through any sudden or unilateral action.
A new facility, valued at Rs140-150 million and now housing 185 students, had already been constructed. 'Mosques and seminaries are sacred to us,' he said. 'No step was taken without proper respect, dialogue and thorough documentation.'
He further rejected claims of a planned overnight operation against religious seminaries in the capital as 'entirely baseless', adding that any future actions would follow legal protocols and involve consultation with religious leaders and planning authorities.
A 48-hour consultation period was agreed following discussions with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leadership and local clerics. A final decision would be made upon the return of Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi from abroad.
In a separate intervention, Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani addressed longstanding concerns regarding tax exemptions in the former FATA and PATA regions.
He clarified that a 10 per cent General Sales Tax (GST) had been levied only on locally produced and sold goods, while income tax exemptions remained intact.
'These regions have made tremendous sacrifices during the war on terror,' he said. 'Their preferential treatment remains a collective national responsibility.'
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