• Senate opposition leader Shibli Fraz slams govt move against PTI office in capital
• Minister says anti-encroachment action had nod from PTI-led panel

ISLAMABAD: Tensions ran high in the Senate on Friday, with the PTI and PML-N both accusing each other of pursuing fascist policies.

Speaking in the House, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Shibli Fraz, who on one occasion criticised the law minister for leading attacks on the judiciary, raised alarm over the ‘attack’ on PTI’s central office and the arrest of PTI leaders and workers.

“Is this politics. Can you take pride in calling yourself politicians. We are ready to quit, if this is [what you call] politics,” Mr Fraz said.

He lashed out at the treasury benches for actions taken against the PTI, which he said were being carried out under their watch.

Speaking about the action against the PTI central office in Islamabad, Mr Fraz said that not only was the bulding demolished, but party workers were also baton-charged and the head of the party’s Islamabad chapter, Amir Mughal, was arrested.

“You cannot do politics by force. You can take away our party symbol, jail our [party] chairman, demolish our offices, raid our homes but cannot erase the affection for PTI leader Imran Khan from the hearts of the majority of 250 million people of this country,” the PTI senator said.

“Whatever oppression and tyranny you may do, will be chronicled. […] It will be very upsetting when history will be written tomorrow,” he added.

Accusing the PML-N-led coalition government of coming to power through a stolen mandate, Mr Fraz said that originally they could not secure more than 27 seats in the National Assembly.

“Through these actions and tactics, you are not winning the hearts of Pakistanis or your voters, but fanning hatred,” the PTI leader said.

Mr Faraz then noted that the economic statistics did not show a positive outlook which he said was due to political instability. The PTI senator said that if “colleagues” on the treasury benches did not join the party’s condemnation of the action against the PTI office, it “meant they endorse it”.

Anti-encroachment actions

Responding to Mr Faraz’s speech, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar highlighted that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) had been ordered to speed up action against encroachments.

He said that orders had been given by Senate’s Standing Committee on Interior, headed by PTI Senator Mohsin Aziz.

He said the first notice had been issued to the PTI in 2020, when the party was in power, adding that multiple notices had been sent to “remind you that you have constructed two floors without a map and approval and have placed containers and set up a parking shed in a public area”.

Noting that the last notice was sent on May 10, the law minister said the action against the PTI office was in accordance with the law, adding that he had talked to the CDA chairman about the matter.

Responding to Mr Faraz claim that Mr Tarar was making strong [verbal] attacks on the judiciary”, the law minister said he took serious exception to the remarks of the PTI leader.

He said he owned each and every word uttered by him during Wednesday’s session.

He said the Constitution enshrined three water-tight compartments of trichotomy of power which must not be encroached upon. “If saying that the judges should express their views through their decisions, TV tickers and unnecessary remarks hurt people, and the Constitution guarantees dignity and honour of a man, is an attack, I do not feel ashamed for such attacks,” he said

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2024