Muhammad Faizan Aslam Khan: The Senate has approved a resolution supporting the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as opposition lawmakers rejected the move, tore up copies of the resolution and staged a walkout.
Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry moved the resolution during a Senate session chaired by Yousaf Raza Gillani. The House suspended Question Hour to take up the matter.
Opposition lawmakers, including Leader of the Opposition Raja Nasir Abbas, Hamid Khan, Mohsin Aziz and Zeeshan Khanzada, strongly opposed the resolution, questioning the legal and political justification for imposing emergency rule in the province.
They argued that the action was unjustified, alleging that a chief minister backed by a two-thirds majority had been removed. Opposition members also rejected attempts to blame Sohail Afridi for the failure of negotiations, claiming the government had already decided to impose emergency measures.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) Senator Kamran Murtaza raised procedural concerns, stating that the draft of the emergency declaration did not contain the president’s expression of satisfaction. He also questioned whether the required level of satisfaction among Senate members had been established and complained that lawmakers had not received the relevant documents.
Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gillani allowed opposition members to initiate the debate. However, tensions escalated when he gave the floor to the law minister after turning off Kamran Murtaza’s microphone.
Protesting the move, opposition lawmakers tore up copies of the resolution and walked out of the chamber.
The chairman subsequently put the resolution to a vote and announced its unanimous approval, despite the opposition members’ absence.
The Senate’s decision followed the National Assembly’s approval of a similar resolution concerning emergency measures and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, intensifying the political dispute over the federal government’s action in the province.
