ISLAMABAD: The abrupt passing of an opposition legislator on Monday hindered the government’s efforts to approve the contentious National Assembly elections modification measure.
To complicate matters further, Speaker Ayaz Sadiq raised a stir last week when he revealed to the house that he had not been able to locate another opposition member who had been kidnapped by unidentified armed men near Gujranwala.
Similar remarks were made by the speaker on Friday in response to questions from the opposition on the purported abduction of Mandi Bahauddin MNA Haji Imtiaz Ahmed, who is endorsed by the PTI. On the house floor, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also gave the opposition an assurance that he will personally investigate the issue.
In response to speeches from PTI members pleading with him to fulfill his responsibility as the custodian of the house and retrieve the missing MNA, the speaker stated, “I had previously shared with Aamer Dogar [chief whip of the PTI] that according to the reply I have received, he [Hajid Imtiaz] is neither in the custody of police nor of the anti-corruption [department].”
The speaker did not, however, identify the source of the written response.
Leader of the Opposition Omer Ayub Khan brought up the matter initially, followed by PTI MNAs Aamer Dogar and Latif Khosa. These individuals were granted the opportunity to express their sympathies regarding the passing of their colleague, Rahimyar Khan MNA Mumtaz Mustafa, who suffered a heart attack at the Parliament Lodges just hours prior to the assembly session commencing.
The opposition leader remarked, “Mr. Speaker, our colleague in this house has been declared an enforced disappeared person,” holding up a picture of Haji Imtiaz. Mr. Khan asserted that he had heard information that the MNA was being tortured and that Haji Imtiaz had not been placed under arrest by the police.
Who is tormenting him—intelligence services or other parties? As the custodian of the house, it is your duty, Mr. Speaker,” the leader of the opposition stated.
Mr. Khan remarked, “I know that you will do your duty and ensure his recovery,” adding that he and the other party members were going through a very trying period. He threatened to impose a similar fate on those occupying the Treasury benches tomorrow. He stated that the Baloch people and Dr. Mahrang Baloch were already actively protesting against this issue, saying that the “enforced disappearances” had turned into a serious national issue.
In addition, he called former prime minister Imran Khan a “political prisoner,” claiming that the PTI’s founder and his wife Bushra Bibi were found guilty on August 5, 2015, in a “bogus” Toshakhana case.
According to Aamer Dogar, 41 MNAs recently presented affidavits demonstrating their membership with the PTI in compliance with the Supreme Court’s ruling. Among them were the late Mumtaz Mustafa and the missing Haji Imtiaz. He added the late Mumtaz Mustafa had been afraid of being kidnapped from his constituency, thus he had been residing at the Parliament Lodges.
Latif Khosa urged the speaker not to trust the information being given to him about MNA Haji Imtiaz, who has gone missing. “You have a written response stating that he is not under the custody of the anti-corruption [agency] or the police. Has he vanished off the face of the planet? inquired Mr. Khosa.
The demise of MNA
Following a two-day break, the speaker opened the meeting by announcing that regular business would be suspended in accordance with parliamentary custom and informing the members about Mumtaz Mustafa’s passing. He stated that a resolution on Youm-i-Istehsal-i-Kashmir was scheduled to be passed by the house and would now be presented on Tuesday (today).
The MQM-P’s Khawaja Izharul Hassan expressed sadness that the sudden parking of cars had prevented the ambulance from accessing the Parliament Lodges porch, where the corpse was being moved by hand without the use of a stretcher.
In order to raise vehicles parked in locations not authorized by the owner, the speaker announced that a permanent forklift would be stationed at the Lodges. She further stated that the owner of the vehicle would be held accountable for any damages sustained to the vehicle during the lifting procedure.
One item on the agenda that could not be discussed was the contentious Elections Act (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which had already been approved by the relevant standing committee of the National Assembly. The purpose of the law is to keep PTI from being the only major party in the National Assembly again.
