Imran says PTI MNAs to attend National Assembly session

RECORDER REPORT

ISLAMABAD: Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan Tuesday ended its boycott of National Assembly, saying his party members would attend Wednesday's session (today) in which they would submit an adjournment motion to seek debate on a statement by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif about his properties abroad.

Speaking at a presser along with PTI Vice-Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Khan said, "The reason why my party boycotted the National Assembly session was that the Prime Minister lied to us, making it difficult for us to have trust in the institution." "In his speech in the National Assembly, Nawaz Sharif said he had all the evidence of money trail, but in the court his lawyers said it was a political speech...if you take the Parliament this way, it is of no use to go there for desk thumping as we're not courtiers," he added.

He said there should be a debate on the speech of the Prime Minister as he had lied to the Parliament. He added, "We will submit privilege and adjournment motions to hold a through debate on what the Prime Minister stated about his properties abroad."

He also put other opposition parties to the test, saying: "It is the test of the Parliament where the nation will see who stands with us, as our demand is simple: Can a Prime Minister give a political statement on the floor of Parliament, and isn't this enough to charge-sheet him under Articles 62, 63?"

He asked: "Will they [PML-N legislators] stand by opposition like the MPs in Brazil who voted against their own party President after he lied to the Parliament on budget figures and our Prime Minister blatantly lied about his properties?" To a question, he said that Nawaz Sharif administration has destroyed all institutions right from the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), National Accountability Bureau (NAB), etc, and the only two institutions are left which he is now trying to bring under his control.

He said that he was disappointed when Supreme Court did not conduct hearing of Panama leaks case on a day-to-day basis. "Yes, I got disappointed as I wanted the hearing of the case on day-to-day basis, but I've said that I will accept whatever the apex court decides, as now, we've won the case, and the Sharifs have failed to prove the money trail," he added.

Qureshi said that the time has come to see if it is a democratic Parliament or a Majlis-e-Shura [of General Zia], adding they would go to the Parliament as all the parliamentarians know the Prime Minister had lied to the Parliament. He said that there are two groups within Pakistan People's Party (PPP); one group comprising Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Senator Aitzaz Ahsan and Sherry Rehman wants to take to the streets if the government fails to accept their four demands, while the other led by Yousaf Raza Gilani 'and company' wants to cut a deal with the government to get Dr Asim Hussain and Ayan Ali released.

Earlier, the PTI had said that its members would not attend any session of the Parliament until the Prime Minister resigns or presents himself for accountability as per the opposition's proposed terms of reference (ToRs) for investigation into the Panamagate scandal. As part of the boycott, the PTI had also boycotted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's address to the joint session of the Parliament.