The treasury benches in the Senate on Monday denied that the government is on the mission of witch-hunting the opposition members, saying the corruption cases against the top leaders of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have nothing to do with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.
"Neither has our government imprisoned any leader nor did we prepare any corruption case against anyone (from the opposition). So why is opposition crying foul then? What is this fuss all about?" said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Azam Swati while concluding the debate on "recent wave of alleged political victimization and denial of fundamental rights to members of opposition parties and revocation of citizenship of a former member of Parliament." The related agenda item was moved from different opposition parties led by Leader of the Opposition in Senate Raja Zafar-ul-Haq.
The parliamentary affairs minister said the treasury benches hold all the opposition senators in high esteem. "If any member from opposition in this house or from National Assembly has any problem or reservations regarding the federal government, he/she can always come to me and they (opposition members) do. I keep listening to opposition senators and MNAs (members of National Assembly) and I try to resolve the issues they are faced with, in my capacity as parliamentary affairs minister."
But, he added, opposition creating chaos during the speeches of members of treasury benches is unacceptable and the government members have the right to retaliate when opposition resorts to chaos in the house.
The debate on alleged political victimization of opposition parties saw tumultuous Senate proceedings last week with opposition and government trading barbs and leveling serious allegations against one another.
Earlier on Wednesday last week, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) rejected Prime Minister Imran Khan's order to the civic authorities to facilitate the protestors at the sit-in site, and demanded the PM's resignation. "We damn care about the concessions given to the sit-in participants by the PM. We demand his resignation and we would end our sit-in only after the resignation arrives," Haideri said while speaking at the floor of the house on Wednesday.
Haideri was referring to the PM's order to Chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA) Amer Ali Ahmed to visit the JUI-F's sit-in site and oversee arrangements to protect the protestors from cold weather following heavy downpour on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning last week. His remarks did not go down well with the treasury benches who created a furor in the Senate. Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani repeatedly warned both the sides that he would prorogue the Senate if the government and opposition did not mend their ways.
During the Senate proceedings on Monday, opposition senators including Pervaiz Rasheed, Mushahid Ullah Khan, Kalsoom Perveen and Javed Abbasi from PML-N, Rehman Malik, Quratulain Marri and Anwar Lal Dean from PPP and Muhammad Akram from National Party spoke on the floor of the house and accused the federal government of political victimization before the parliamentary affairs concluded the debate. The Senate would meet again today (Tuesday) at 3:30pm.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2019
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