Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed has called for ex-premier Imran Khan’s release from jail and the allocation of reserved seats to the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) the new home of PTI-backed winning candidates. Speaking on the floor of the Senate, Hussain recalled he had called for the release of ex-president Asif Ali Zardari, Yousuf Gilani and Javed Hashmi during late General Pervez Musharraf’s rule, as well as of ex-premier Nawaz Sharif in 2018. “Even today, I have, first of all, demanded that Imran Khan be released. He is a political prisoner; and it should be across the board.” Noting that there was now a “new chapter” after the Feb 8 elections, the seasoned politician said there was a need for a “healing touch”. “Include everyone and give a general amnesty,” Hussain said, claiming that a “general amnesty was even given to the TTP that killed our children”. “And the reserved seats that the PTI deserves, it is their right and they should get it; they should not be deprived of it,” he added. Hussain further demanded that all missing persons across the country should be recovered.

On the other hand Senate Deputy Chairman Mirza Muhammad Afridi has issued directives for the issuance of production orders for incarcerated PTI leader Ejaz Chaudhry. Speaking in the Senate, PTI’s Ali Zafar noted that the presidential election was due tomorrow and that it was Chaudhry’s right to cast a vote. Zafar said that the jailed PTI leader had been behind bars for months in cases pertaining to the May 9 riots that followed ex-premier Imran Khan’s arrest. “Inclusion of Ejaz Chaudhry in the Senate session is necessary,” Zafar said, adding that it would be “shameful” if the Upper House could not summon a senator for the presidential election. “Why should we seek help from the courts for this?” he asked. Stating that Chaudhry was ill and facing liver problems, the PTI senator demanded that a medical board be formed and the jailed politician’s check-up be conducted at the Pakistan Insitute of Medical Sciences. Subsequently, Afridi ordered the issuance of the production order, noting, “It is Ejaz Chaudhry’s right that he cast a vote in the presidential elections.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)