Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Thursday criticized Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur’s statement about holding direct dialogue with Afghanistan, calling it a direct attack on the federation. Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, he said that no province has the authority to hold direct talks with any foreign country. He also highlighted the initiatives taken by the Speaker of the National Assembly to ensure the supremacy of Parliament. The Minister said the Sunni Ittehad Council had not lost their representation due to the Speaker’s issuance of production orders. He urged that the tradition set by Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq should continue, stressing the importance of following rules and laws. Recalling past events, he pointed out that during the PTI regime, the former Speaker denied production orders of the arrested members. The Minister also informed the House of the victimization carried out by the PTI government, stating that Rana Sanaullah Khan, Maryam Nawaz, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, and Asif Ali Zardari’s sister had been arrested in fake cases.

Asif further mentioned that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was consulted on important legislation during the PDM government. He said that now is the time to promote a politics of tolerance in the country. Leader of the Opposition, Omar Ayub thanked Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq for issuing production orders for detained members. Rana Ansar raised concerns about the non-implementation of the maximum wage by the labour department, especially for female workers. Former Speaker Asad Qaiser alleged that his party members were being victimized and stressed that legislation should be made for the welfare of the people, not for individual interests. He called for institutions to operate within their respective domains and suggested forming an all-party committee to investigate the mishandling of parliamentarians. He also recalled that he issued production orders for detained members during his tenure as Speaker. Mirza Ikhtiar Baig highlighted issues concerning IRSA (Indus River System Authority) and said a new chairman should be appointed following the code of conduct.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan