Shibli Faraz censures govt for using force against PTI

ISLAMABAD: Leader of Opposition in Senate Shibli Faraz on Friday berated the government for using force against the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) and arresting the party’s local chapter chief Aamir Mughal.

Addressing the Senate today, Faraz said the treasury benches not only banned his party they also used all the tactics against it. It was not enough for them to snatch the party’s electoral symbol, he blasted.

Referring to last night’s raid at the PTI office, the senior leader said his party’s central office was razed in Islamabad, Mughal was arrested and PTI workers were beaten by police with batons.

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Thursday night demolished a portion of the PTI Central Secretariat in the federal capital over a “violation of building rules”, drawing strong condemnation from the Imran Khan-founded party.

In a statement, the CDA said that its anti-encroachment team launched an operation late Thursday to eliminate illegal construction and encroachment.

It further said that encroachment by a "political party" was being removed and added that the plot was allotted in the name of a person named Sartaj Ali.

The CDA said that an additional floor was also constructed on the plot in violation of the building rules. The government's body added that it had issued notices to the party but to no avail.

Faraz said the CDA demolished the building on the government’s desire. They had started using foul tactics after failure to compete with the PTI politically, he said. They were creating hatred for themselves through such actions, he said.

“You cannot (continue to) do politics through coercion. Whatever oppression you carry out, will be registered,” he said pointing towards the treasury benches.

The opposition leader said the PTI central office was attacked and the party’s information secretary survived a lethal assault.

“If this is politics then we announce to quit the politics,” he said demanding the freedom of his party workers from jails.

He said the ruling party had only won 27 seats and they had come into power through stolen mandate.

On the economic situation, Faraz said the Asian Development Bank president had said that Pakistan’s economy was in the ICU because of political instability.

“The political instability has been created by you. Political stability cannot be achieved in such circumstances,” he said.

In response to Faraz’s address, Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar said the crackdown against other parties continued from 2018 to 2022. During this period fascism was imposed in the country, he said.

Tarar said a member of the National Assembly was arrested in a drug case and the then minister had said that he attested that the case was true. If it was true then why he did not show up before the court to testify, he asked.

Meanwhile, the house approved the motion floated by Tarar regarding setting up the Senate’s finance committee.

At this, the opposition parties protested the non-inclusion of the parties having low representation in the house.