ISLAMABAD:
Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai and National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq exchanged sharp remarks during the Budget session of the National Assembly on Wednesday, while JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman called for restraint amid growing tensions in the House.
Speaking in the House, Achakzai, who also heads the opposition party alliance TTAP, criticized the speaker for responding to his speech the day before.
“You are the president and it is not your role to respond to our speeches,” Achakzai said, adding that he would respond to the president’s remarks within the bounds of parliamentary decorum.
Referring to comments made about one of his speeches, Achakzai said he had delivered the speech in Pashto in Chaman and suggested that someone familiar with the language be tasked with interpreting it.
“I had said that there is no law and justice and people should resolve their differences through local jirgas and panchayats,” he said. Achakzai said his party would support the government if it worked for the welfare of the poor, but would oppose it if it resorted to repression.
“If you serve the poor, we will support you. If you shoot people and put them in prison, we will oppose you,” he said. Addressing the political situation as a whole, the opposition leader called for strengthening constitutionalism and democracy.
“If there really is a constitution and democracy in the country, then let us declare these judges national heroes who resigned to oppose the dictatorship,” he said.
He also proposed that judges who took oath under the Provisional Constitutional Orders (PCOs) during military rule should be declared violators of the Constitution.
“Let’s find an agreement to free this Parliament,” he added.
Achakzai said his criticism was not directed at the armed forces and insisted he wanted to avoid the military becoming controversial. He remarked that if the establishment allowed Parliament to function strictly in accordance with the Constitution, it would appreciate it publicly.
Expressing his disappointment with the remarks made by the speaker during the previous session, he warned against further provocations. “I was saddened by your comments yesterday as a speaker. Do not provoke us, otherwise you will face difficulties,” he said.
Responding to criticism from the opposition leader, President Ayaz Sadiq rejected allegations that he acted in violation of the Constitution. He said he left the PTI in 1998 and joined the PML-N on February 1, 2001, when the party was in opposition.
Meanwhile, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman urged both sides to exercise patience and avoid escalation of tensions. “Many moving statements were made in the House. This is a time for tolerance and restraint,” he said.
Addressing the speaker directly, Fazl noted that he too had spoken with emotion in the previous session. “President sahib, you also made some emotional remarks yesterday which you should not have made,” he said.
