National Assembly speaker suspends security officials over PTI lawmakers' arrests

The suspensions, which will last for four months, come in response to the arrest of several PTI legislators, who were taken into custody from the Services Branch of the Parliament building. This action follows an outcry from PTI members in the National Assembly.

The arrests took place early on Tuesday morning when officers in plain clothes stormed the Parliament House. The power supply was disconnected, and the officers entered the Services Branch to detain at least 11 PTI lawmakers. The incident led to widespread protests from PTI members, prompting the National Assembly Speaker to initiate an immediate investigation into the arrests within the parliament's premises.

According to a formal order issued by the National Assembly Secretariat, Sergeant-at-Arms Muhammad Ishfaq Ashraf was suspended immediately for 120 days. The order specified that during his suspension, he would continue to receive his salary and allowances as per applicable rules.

Although the order did not specify the reasons for his suspension, it referenced rule 5(1) of the Civil Servants (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules, 2020, which allows the suspension of a civil servant during investigations, reported Dawn.

In addition to Sergeant-at-Arms Ashraf, the suspension notice also included Security Assistant Waqas Ahmed and three junior security assistants, Obaidullah, Muhammad Waheed Safdar, and Muhammad Haroon. These officials, who were also suspended for 120 days, will likewise be eligible for pay and allowances during their suspension period.

On the same day, Speaker Sadiq called for an official investigation into the incident, stating that an FIR would be lodged if necessary. He also requested footage from all entry gates of Parliament House to assist with evidence collection for the investigation.

The speaker met with various parliamentary leaders, including Ali Muhammad Khan and Shandana Gulzar from PTI, and Rana Sanaullah of PML-N. During this meeting, Sadiq emphasized the importance of preserving the dignity of the parliament and discussed ways to prevent such incidents from happening again in the future.

In a separate move, Sadiq summoned Islamabad Inspector General of Police Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi to provide details about the arrests. He also instructed Rizvi to present the detained PTI lawmakers before the parliament, Dawn reported.

The arrests occurred a day after PTI's Sangjani power show. Late Monday night, law enforcement agencies apprehended several senior PTI leaders from different areas of Islamabad, forcing others to take refuge in Parliament House. Among those arrested were prominent PTI members Sher Afzal Marwat, Zubair Khan, and lawyer Shoaib Shaheen, who was taken into custody from his office in G-9.

PTI MNAs affected by the arrests included Sher Afzal Marwat, Zubair, Chief Whip Malik Amir Dogar, Sheikh Waqqas Akram, Nasim Ali Shah, Zain Qureshi, Ahmed Chattha, Awais Haider Jakhar, Syed Shah Ahad Ali Shah, Yousuf Khattak, and Abdul Latif Chitrali.

After his release, PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan clarified that he had surrendered to authorities when Sher Afzal Marwat was detained. He emphasised that PTI would not resign from any parliamentary assembly and criticised the arrest of MNAs without proper inquiry.

A special 16-member committee, comprising members from both the ruling and opposition parties, was formed to investigate the incident. During a parliamentary session later that day, Speaker Sadiq commented on the positive discussions taking place, urging political leaders to unite for the betterment of the parliament and refrain from personal attacks.

Despite calls for unity, PTI Chairman Gohar announced that all but nine to ten PTI MNAs would boycott parliamentary proceedings until a satisfactory inquiry into the arrests was conducted. He thanked Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for attempting to address the situation and reiterated that PTI had not announced any resignations from parliament.

Gohar also cautioned the ruling coalition, suggesting that PTI's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government could file cases against coalition ministers if they chose to engage in retaliatory actions. He argued for the importance of political unity to prevent "unpolitical forces" from exploiting divisions within the government, as per the report by Dawn.

In a reconciliatory speech, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari condemned the politics of revenge, urging both sides to work together to address national issues. He also criticized the opposition for focusing on personal attacks rather than offering constructive criticism on economic and security policies.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, meanwhile, emphasized that no one should condone the events that took place, calling it a collective violation of the institution of parliament. He reiterated that the incident was a loss for parliament as a whole and urged both sides to condemn unacceptable behaviour equally.

Sources revealed that a police contingent led by Senior Superintendent Arsalan Jahanzeb had been stationed outside Parliament House for several hours before the arrests. Unmarked vehicles arrived shortly after, and electricity to the building was cut off before PTI lawmakers were taken into custody. The arrested MNAs were later moved to the Central Investigation Agency Centre. (ANI)