ISLAMABAD: Following the promulgation of a presidential ordinance paving the way for the formation of a judicial commission, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) announced that its legislators would return to the assemblies and participate in parliamentary proceedings from Monday.

The decision was formally announced by PTI chairman Imran Khan while talking to a group of reporters after chairing a meeting of the party’s core committee at his Bani Gala residence on Sunday.

“We have decided to attend the joint session of parliament tomorrow (Mon­day),” Mr Khan declared, adding that he would personally present the party’s viewpoint on the Yemen crisis.

He said the PTI was still discussing the option of returning to the assemblies after the government’s decision to promulgate the judicial commission ordinance on election rigging, when the government convened the joint sitting of parliament to discuss the Yemen crisis.

“The Yemen issue is very important and it has an impact on the Islamic world and Pakistan. Therefore, we have decided to go to the joint sitting and I will attend myself and present my party’s point of view,” the PTI chairman said.

PTI decides to end boycott of legislatures; to attend joint session today

He said his party was against sending troops to Yemen and that it would strongly oppose any such move inside and outside the parliament. He was of the view that Pakistan had already suffered a lot by taking part in others’ wars. He said Pakistan had already paid a heavy price for its decision to take part in Afghanistan war and the country had suffered a loss of Rs100 billion due to the US war on terror, adding that they should learn from the past.

He said the people were ready to die for the security of Makkah and Madina, which were sacred places for them, but there were Muslims on both sides. “Pakistan should play the role of a mediator, instead of adding fuel to the fire,” he added.

The PTI chief said that so far he was not aware of the actual position of the government over the Yemen crisis. He said that first they would like to hear the government’s stance over the Middle East situation and then respond accordingly.

Mr Khan hinted that there were a few party members who were opposed to the decision to return to the assemblies before the actual formation of the promised judicial commission.

Answering a question, he said that members of his party would also return to the provincial assemblies and “play the role of a real opposition”.

When asked about the legal status of the party’s legislators since they had submitted the resignation, Mr Khan said that since the speaker had not accepted their resignation, they were still members of the assembly.

He said he had taken to the roads to demand a judicial probe into the alleged rigging in the 2013 general elections and their demand had now been met with the promulgation of the presidential ordinance regarding formation of the judicial commission. He once again alleged that the PML-N had managed to cast seven million bogus votes in the elections and that his party would prove it before the commission. He said he had a firm belief that 2015 was an election year.

PTI MNAs and MPAs in Punjab and Sindh assemblies had resigned from the assemblies in August at the peak of their sit-in against the alleged rigging in the 2013 elections.

The sit-in continued for 126 days during which the party had demanded resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and formation of a judicial commission. After several rounds of talks with the ruling PML-N, the PTI later withdrew its condition for the prime minister’s resignation.

On the other hand, NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, who is facing the charges of rigging the elections, did not accept the resignation of the PTI legislators due to the pressure from other parties that wanted the issue to be resolved amicably.

It was on Sept 3 last year when the PTI MNAs led by vice chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi last time attended the session of parliament. Mr Qureshi had specially gone to the joint sitting of parliament to respond to the speech of party’s president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi made a day earlier.

Since then, except for four party defectors, PTI MNAs and MPAs have not been attending the sessions of the assemblies.

Mr Khan once again lashed out at the leadership of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) for allegedly attacking PTI candidate Imran Ismail twice during the election campaign for the by-polls on a NA seat from Karachi.

He said the media was wrongly portraying that there had been clashes between workers of the PTI and MQM in Karachi. “There are no clashes taking place in Karachi as we have directed our workers not to retaliate and let the public know the real situation,” he added.

He once again warned that if any PTI worker was harmed in Karachi, his party would implicate MQM chief Altaf Hussain in the case. He said the PTI had got a team of lawyers ready in London to press charges against Mr Hussain, if any PTI member was harmed during NA-246 election campaign. He said “inciting violence” was a crime in the UK.

The NA-246 seat fell vacant last month following the resignation of MQM MNA Nabeel Gabol on the party’s directive. The constituency lies in the stronghold of the MQM. The elections are being held in a tense atmosphere due to clashes between the PTI and MQM workers in the city. The PTI has already announced that it will hold a public meeting in Azizabad on April 19.

Mr Khan said that the NA-246 elections on April 23 would be a “defining moment” for the people of Karachi, who should come out of their homes without any fear to use their right of vote. He said it was an opportunity for the MQM to prove that it was a democratic party. However, he said, so far the MQM had proved that there were still no-go areas in Karachi where no-one could participate in the elections.

Mr Khan said he would visit every part of Karachi and also attend the public meeting come what may.

He paid tributes to the now dismissed police officer, Mohammad Ali Nekokara, for not obeying the “illegal orders” of the rulers during the protest sit-in. Declaring him a national hero, Mr Khan said that whenever his party would come into power, they would reinstate Mr Nekokara.

Published in Dawn, April 6th, 2015

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