ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday put its weight behind Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani of Islamabad High Court (IHC), saying that the parliament had not only collapsed but is fast becoming a liability on the people of the country, which is evident from its legislation.
Speaking at a presser, PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, along with the opposition leader in National Assembly Omar Ayub, questioned the NA Speaker’s ruling, saying: “For the last one year, this house has not made a single legislation with regard to criminal major acts.
“To be more precise, this house did not bother to make any legislation in the Civil Major Act. Every piece of legislation passed in the last one year, has generated controversy,” he added.
“During the last one year, mere 17 hours were dedicated to the question hour, resulting in fewer than 300 questions being answered [by ministers]. In stark contrast, the Lok Sabha of India responds to between 10,000 and 15,000 questions annually,” he lamented.
In the same breath, he asked the NA speaker to consider the fact that “if this is not what you are prepared to call a collapse, then you should better look at the house’s dismal performance as it has been in the last one year.”
“Since inception of this house, which came into existence due to fraudulent elections last year, it has failed to make any major legislation. The government has failed to give a single major policy statement; its ministers have failed to respond to questions asked by the legislators, leading to a potential collapse of its credibility.”
Gohar went on to say that this is perhaps the first assembly in the history of the country that has failed to form house committees even after a year has passed, adding this raises serious concerns about the credibility of parliament and the custodian of the house.
In his observation – during the hearing of a petition pertaining to Central Superior Services (CSS) 2024 results, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani of IHC said, “The pillars of the judiciary, parliament, and administration have all collapsed; the judiciary’s pillar is in the air, but we are still not disheartened.”
At the onset of the session, the opposition leader in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub, said that the PTI is the largest political party, but the NA speaker always bars him from speaking in the house, which is against the laid-down rules.
He criticised the provincial government of Punjab, led by Maryam Nawaz, for raiding the homes of PTI lawmakers in the province to settle their personal differences, adding if this continued, it will badly affect an already fragile political atmosphere of the country.
He also accused the federal government of intentionally delaying the meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI), terming it unconstitutional, adding the government is even threatening the PPP, an ally of the government, after it insisted on a CCI meeting.
Following this, the PTI lawmakers chanted slogans while holding placards inscribed with slogans such as “Free, Imran Khan!,” “Save Judiciary,” “Fake Parliament”, etc, and staged a walkout from the House.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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