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ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq on Monday took a strong exception to reported anti-parliament statements made by Pakhtunkhwa Mili Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai — nominated as opposition leader by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) but not notified by the custodian of the house so far — declaring that he would firmly defend it.
Without naming Mr Achakzai or giving specifics, Mr Sadiq said the MNA entered the Parliament House and announced in the opposition lobby that he planned to approach the [speaker’s] chair in order to disrupt the proceedings when Deputy Speaker Ghulam Mustafa Shah was presiding. He added that the same member later issued another “irresponsible and provocative statement”, declaring he would use public force to halt the parliamentary proceedings.
“This is my responsibility to protect parliament. It is inappropriate to talk against the state and parliament. We will all stop it together,” said the speaker before formally announcing the start of the Question Hour.
He said such thinking and statements must be collectively discouraged to ensure parliament’s supremacy, preservation of the constitutional system and protection of democratic traditions.
Mr Sadiq’s remarks put the opposition PTI members on the defensive as party chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, and later a number of other party members, assured the speaker that their party had no intentions to attack parliament.
The PTI chairman asked the speaker not to escalate the matter, stating that the politicians had the right to issue statements about the parliament’s functioning.
