PESHAWAR / QUETTA: In response to the deaths of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) activists during a protest in Islamabad that ended suddenly following a late-night government crackdown earlier this week, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa administration has announced a three-day period of mourning throughout the province.
Late Thursday evening, Speaker Babar Saleem Swati presided over an emergency meeting of the KP Assembly during which the news was made. The meeting, which was originally planned for December 2, was called at 9 p.m. on Thursday in reaction to the events in Islamabad.
Mr. Swati claimed that the right to peaceful protest, among other core constitutional rights, had been violated and denounced the methods done against the PTI demonstrators. “The institutions and powers that be have stolen the citizens’ right to peaceful protest and expression, which is guaranteed by the Constitution,” he stated.
He said that the institutions had “repeated the history of Palestine and Israel” on orders from the federal government, after saying that the political authorities that spoke up for the Constitution were “massacred mercilessly.”
According to Mr. Swati, security personnel employed snipers to target defenseless protestors, destroyed cars, and used excessive force, including running over people.
He further asserted that the number of unaccounted-for individuals was increasing and that the bodies of deceased employees were missing. He expressed concern that Pakistani media were mute despite the film of these actions being aired globally.
“We have gone through this, and the same experiments caused us to lose East Pakistan [Bangladesh].” He claimed that “the same is now being repeated in West Pakistan.” “They [Bangladeshis] were filmed naked and treated inhumanely,” he stated.
One of the primary points of contention between the opposition party and the government has been the murders of PTI marchers.
No one was killed during the police operation to disperse the PTI protesters, according to the government. A day after the raid, however, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur claimed on Wednesday that hundreds of party workers had been killed or wounded as a result of “direct fire by law enforcement agencies.”
At least five men, including four on Wednesday and one on Thursday, who were reportedly killed in the clash with the PTI protesters were buried in different locations throughout Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
CM Gandapur and Bushra Bibi were allegedly the targets of attempted attacks during the rally, according to Speaker Swati, who also questioned whether the country could withstand such levels of violence.
He called their treatment an example of “fascism” and emphasized the predicament of PTI legislators Anwar Zeb and Malik Liaqat, who he said were detained close to the KP-Punjab border. He also demanded that the deaths of police officers during the demonstrations be looked into.
The three days of mourning in remembrance of the workers who lost their lives were formally announced by KP Minister for Law Aftab Alam Afridi.
Later, the meeting was adjourned till today, Friday, at 7 p.m.
“PTI ban”
On Thursday, the Balochistan Assembly passed a resolution urging the federal government to outlaw the PTI.
Strong resistance to the resolution, which was approved by a majority, led to opposition members walking out, claiming it was unlawful.
Speaker Abdul Khaliq Achakzai presided over the meeting, which started later than expected. Saleem Ahmed Khosa, the PML-N’s parliamentary leader and minister of communications, introduced a joint motion on behalf of the PPP and his party.
The National Party, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), and Jamaat-i-Islami were among the opposition groups that opposed the resolution, claiming it was undemocratic and unconstitutional.
Dr. Malik Baloch, the leader of the National Party, said, “We will not allow this house to pass such a resolution easily.”
It saddened him that the parties that had sacrificed for democracy and the rule of law were now advancing this motion to outlaw a party.
“Aside from shame, what have we gained by banning the Communist Party and NAP?” he said. “We are leaving the house because we do not wish to participate in this sin.”
Inciting widespread riots, participating in violent acts, and pursuing a destabilizing agenda in line with anti-state forces were all charges made against PTI in the resolution. It cited attacks on federal institutions using government resources and asserted that the KP chief minister’s remarks were a part of a “enemy agenda.”
Speaking in support of the resolution, Mir Saleem Khosa denounced the PTI’s purportedly violent acts, which included assaults on the media, state institutions, and security forces.
Bakht Mohammad Kakar, the provincial minister, backed the motion as well, saying that when a political party violates constitutional norms and acts abusively against institutions, there is no choice but to prohibit them.
The resolution was challenged by Nawab Aslam Raisani, a member of the JUI-F, who insisted that Imran Khan be permitted to enter politics in order to compete with other political parties.
“If one party is banned today, other parties will suffer the same fate tomorrow,” stated Yunus Aziz Zehri, the leader of the opposition.
