- Qureshi pledges support for Constitution, Parliament and democracy, says party ready to negotiate with opposition committee members
- Qureshi says PTI not following any signal or script, will condemn martial law if someone tries to impose it
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi graced the National Assembly Wednesday to clarify that the purpose of PTI’s sit-in outside the Parliament was to save the House and not burn it.
Addressing on the floor of the House, the PTI leader said that he considered the Parliament as his political Ka’ba (holy place) and it was their duty to protect it. He however questioned the legitimacy of the Parliament.
Qureshi also negated the impression that PTI was a part of a “grand plan” and was following a “script”, acting on a “signal” from a section.
“I know there are few elements who want to put fuel on fire and there is a group as well that wants to resolve all the issues,” he said, adding that PTI did not invite any third party.
“History will tell who invited third party mediate or facilitate,” he said, referring to government’s request to the COAS Gen Raheel Sharif to play his role in resolving the crisis.
“The request to an institution (army) to resolve political crisis was against the spirit of the Charter of Democracy,” he added.
“We stated that Azadi March will resolve that if anyone imposed martial law, we will not only condemn it but will oppose it,” he told the House.
Qureshi said that PTI set four core principles before the start of this long march: to save democracy, to protect Constitution, to remain peaceful and oppose unconstitutional intervention.
The parliamentarian also criticised government’s handling of the crisis, adding that Islamabad was turned into Gaza as scores of people were killed and injured. He urged the parliamentarians to understand the “frustration and haplessness” of the protesters following the Lahore massacre in which over a dozen Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) workers were killed by Punjab Police.
Qureshi also questioned on whose orders media persons were assaulted. He said that this crisis was political in nature and urged all parliamentarians to keep their egos aside to build a democratic Pakistan as envisaged by father of the nation Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah. “This can only happen if there is a mechanism in place to ensure free and fair elections,” he added.
Moreover, the PTI leader said that his party was ready to negotiate with the committee of opposition members. “We are ready to break the stalemate with open hearts,” he asserted.
Qureshi said PTI had only demanded transparent investigation of rigging in last year s general election. “PTI is not protesting just now; it’s a tale of 14 months when protesters in Lahore and Karachi came on roads after May 11.”
PML-N members frequently raised slogans and hooted at Qureshi during his speech. At one point, Ishaq Dar also stood up and began shouting to clarify his position on a point raised by Qureshi. Speaker Ayaz Sadiq and opposition leader Khurshid Shah asked members to stay calm.
Interestingly, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif left the House before the PTI members joined the session and returned only after Qureshi ended his speech and left the hall along with other PTI MNAs without announcing their resignations on the floor of the assembly.
