ISLAMABAD: The sudden death of an opposition lawmaker on Monday thwa­rted the government’s attempt to get the controversial elections amendment bill passed from the National Asse­mbly.

But Speaker Ayaz Sadiq caused a stir when he informed the house he had been unable to trace another opposition member, who was abducted by unknown armed men near Gujran­wala last week, further complicating matters.

The spea­ker had uttered similar words on Friday, when opposition members raised the issue of the alleged kidnapping of the PTI-backed MNA from Mandi Baha­uddin, Haji Imtiaz Ahmed. PM Shehbaz Sharif had also assured the opposition on the floor of the house that he would personally look into the matter.

“I had previously shared with Aamer Dogar [chief whip of the PTI] that according to the reply I have received, he [Hajid Imtiaz] is neither in the custody of police nor of the anti-corruption [department],” said the speaker in response to PTI members’ speeches urging him to play his role in recovering the missing MNA as the custodian of the house.

However, the speaker did not disclose who had provided him with the written reply.

The issue was first raised by Leader of the Opposition Omer Ayub Khan and then by PTI MNAs Aamer Dogar and Latif Khosa when they were given the floor to offer condolences over the death of their colleague, Rahimyar Khan MNA Mumtaz Mustafa, who had passed away a couple of hours before start of the assembly session due to heart attack at the Parliament Lodges.

“Mr Speaker, our colleague in this house has been declared an enforced disappeared person,” said the opposition leader while displaying a portrait of Haji Imtiaz. Mr Khan said Haji Imtiaz had not been taken into custody by the police, and claimed to have received reports that the MNA was being subjected to torture.

“Who is torturing him, intelligence agencies or anybody else? The responsibility lies on you Mr Speaker as custodian of the house,” said the opposition leader.

“I know that you will do your duty and ensure his recovery,” said Mr Khan, adding that he and his party members were passing through very difficult time. He warned that tomorrow, those sitting on the treasury benches might also face a similar fate. He said the “enforced disappearances” had become a serious national issue and added that the Baloch people and Dr Mahrang Baloch were already actively protesting against this issue.

He also declared former prime minister Imran Khan a “political prisoner”, stating that the PTI founder and his spouse Bushra Bibi had been convicted in a “bogus” Toshakhana case, exactly one year ago on Aug 5.

Aamer Dogar said late Mumtaz Mustafa and missing Haji Imtiaz were both among those 41 MNAs who had recently submitted affidavits showing their affiliation with the PTI in line with the Supreme Court verdict. He said late Mumtaz Mustafa had been staying at the Parliament Lodges because of the fear of being abducted from his constituency.

Latif Khosa asked the speaker not to believe in the reports being provided to him regarding the missing MNA Haji Imtiaz. “You have received a written reply that he is not in the police custody and not in the custody of the anti-corruption [department]. Has he disappeared off the face of earth?” asked Mr Khosa.

MNA’s death

At the start of the sitting after a two-day recess, the speaker informed the members about the death of Mumtaz Mustafa and announced suspension of the normal business as per parliamentary tradition. He said the house was due to pass a resolution on Youm-i-Istehsal-i-Kashmir which would now be tabled on Tuesday (today).

Khawaja Izharul Hassan of the MQM-P regretted that the ambulance access to the porch of the Parliament Lodges was blocked due to abrupt parking of vehicles as the deceased was shifted manually without any stretcher.

The speaker said a permanent forklift would be stationed at the Lodges to lift vehicles parked in unauthorised areas, adding that in the event of any damage to a vehicle during the lifting process, the owner of the vehicle would be held responsible for the damages.

The controversial Elections Act (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which had already been cleared by the National Assembly’s relevant standing committee, was a part of the agenda which could not be taken up. The bill is aimed at preventing the reemergence of PTI as the single-largest party in the National Assembly.

Published in Dawn, August 6th, 2024