Pakistan: Bilawal endorses PTI’s May 9 judicial probe demand
Islamabad [Pakistan], March 5 (ANI): Amid the chaos and intense sloganeering in the National Assembly, lawmakers from both sides have called for the formation of judicial commissions to investigate the incidents of May 9 and allegations of election rigging, reported The Nation. While exchanging fiery speeches criticizing each other’s leadership, members from both the Treasury and Opposition benches emphasized the importance of a national reconciliation charter, the release of the former prime minister, and withdrawing cases immediately. According to The Nation, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, amid interruptions from opposition members, endorsed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI’s) demand for a judicial inquiry into the May 9 incidents, supported Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur’s recent call for a judicial commission to probe the violent protests of May 9. "I call upon the Chief Justice Supreme Court of Pakistan (Justice Qaez Faiz Isa) to form [a judicial commission] and see who are the beneficiaries [of May 9 incidents]," said Bilawal in his fiery speech, repeatedly interrupted by opposition members with their slogans. He said, "It is not possible that someone attacks our institutions and the memorials of our martyrs and we forget it," as per The Nation. He further said there is a need to address the issues. "We appeal to the prime minister to form a judicial commission," he said, adding that he will call for the punishment [of those proven guilty] and also advocate for the release [of those who are innocent]. He congratulated the newly elected chief ministers of all four provinces and highlighted the need for them to play their role in saving Pakistan’s democracy. "The people of Pakistan are tired of poverty, unemployment and inflation...We did not get votes to come here and abuse each other," he said passing harsh words that aggravated the situation. However, he later asked the chair to expunge his words from the part of the proceedings. Addressing the Cipher case, Bilawal questioned Imran Khan’s admission of losing a confidential national security document, which raised concerns about the country’s security. "The enemy of Pakistan can crack the code of the country, and break into all the other ciphers as the then PM of Pakistan, Imran Khan, was privy to this," he said. Former speaker and PTI-backed lawmaker Asad Qaiser said in his speech that their party members and leader Imran Khan would never bow down. "I want to make this clear; that time of fear has passed. We have come out of all situations headstrong," he said, demanding the Supreme Court to constitute a judicial commission on the cypher controversy, which is at the heart of the PTI’s allegation of foreign involvement in the parity’s ouster. "Our party’s stance on it is clear; that the Supreme Court constitutes a judicial commission," he said, adding that the cipher was used as the basis of Imran’s conviction and subsequent punishment. Qaiser called for a probe into the allegations of rigging in the Feb 8 polls and emphasized the need to implement the quota allocated for the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) promised in the National Finance Commission Award (NFC) award. PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan criticized the PM’s election as a "sad day for democracy.""None of us imagined that such a person would be elected, that the switch of Pakistan’s atomic power would be handed over to someone who does not have a public mandate," he said. Gohar further alleged that Bilawal had "buried" his grandfather’s politics and assailed the PPP and the PML-N for "dynasty politics.". "It was Imran Khan who brought an end to dynasty politics in the country," he added. MQM-P’s Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui appreciated the opposition’s participation in the democratic process and suggested the formation of a parliamentary committee to address rigging complaints. Siddiqui emphasized his party’s commitment to prioritizing Pakistan’s interests over personal gains and congratulated the nation for its participation in the election. (ANI)