PESHAWAR: Treasury members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Wednesday resented “hurdles” to the release of PTI founder Imran Khan’s wife, complaining that Bushra Bibi’s bail plea was approved by the Islamabad High Court but the release order wasn’t issued by the judges.

“The Islamabad High Court accepted Bushra Bibi’s bail application but those actually handling the country’s affairs disagreed with the verdict, so her release has been delayed,” lawmaker Shafiullah Jan from the treasury benches told a sitting chaired by MPA Sharafat Ali.

He also said that the message from powers-that-be for everyone was clear that neither the courts were independent nor would the country run according to the Constitution.

Mr Jan claimed that that after the high court approved Bibi’s bail application, a legal team was present to submit bail bonds, but both judges “suddenly left.”

Says Constitution amended ‘in the dark’

He added that two more judges were later approached to issue release order but they, too, “escaped.”

“We [PTI] are being forced into a war, which we’re determined to fight,” he said.

The MPA from Kohat district also complained about the latest amendment to the Constitution and said authorities got prime minister Imran Khan removed from his office and the Constitution amended “in the dark.”

He claimed that parliaments didn’t select judges anywhere in the world, and wondered if the judges, appointed by the government, would be able to deliver justice in the cases filed against their selectors.

Mr Jan criticised ANP Senator Aimal Wali Khan for speaking against the PTI founder, and accused him of “changing his narrative to please” the security establishment.

He said that it was unfortunate that Mr Aimal got his domicile transferred from KP to Balochistan just to become a Senate member.

“Everyone knows who made you [Wali] a senator,” he claimed, accusing the ANP leader of selling his vote for the 26th Constitutional Amendment.

The MPA said that all PTI lawmakers owed their membership to the PTI’s founder.

“It is a defining moment. Our party’s leadership should give a final call to do or die,” he said.

Mr Jan complained that PTI chairman Barrister Gohar spoke about the suspension of power supply to Imran Khan’s jail cell but forgot to announce the party’s future course of action.

He said that those who attacked the Constitution and democracy would be held accountable.

Earlier on a calling attention notice, treasury member Mohammad Usman Khan complained that all courts from Tank district were shifted to Dera Ismail Khan district due to security issues, while people had been forced to go on a strike and hold street protests.

He demanded that the government reconsider the courts’ relocation from Tank to Dera Ismail Khan.

Mr Khan said that the courts were shifted 70km away.

He said the security situation was delicate across the province and not just in Karak.

Law minister Aftab Alam Afridi said the lower courts were controlled by the high court administration, which decided to shift them from Tank to Dera Ismail Khan.

He said that the high court, on the petition of the KP Bar Council, asked both federal and provincial governments about security situation in the province.

The minister said he hoped that both governments would promise the provision of foolproof security to the people, especially judges.

The house passed the KP Animal Welfare Bill, 2024, which was moved by livestock minister Fazal Hakim Khan.

The law minister tabled the 2023 annual report of the KP Public Services Commission and the 2021-22 report of the KP Revenue Authority.

PPP leader Ahmad Karim Kundi said that wherever any report was tabled in the house, a date was fixed for discussion on it, so the chair should ensure debate on those reports as well as the annual report of the National Finance Commission tabled earlier.

The chair later ordered the fixing of the report for discussion and adjourned the sitting until 3pm today (Thursday).

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2024