KARACHI: Lawmakers belonging to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf lodged a forceful protest in the Sindh Assembly on Tuesday over the arrest of their colleague Arsalan Taj Ghuman in a case pertaining to an attack on the office of deputy commissioner-Keamari.

The situation took an unpleasant turn when Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani did not allow PTI’s parliamentary party leader Khurram Sher Zaman to move a resolution to condemn the arrest of his party’s MPA.

The PTI members left their seats and gathered in front of the rostrum chanting slogans against the provincial government for the arrest of the MPA Ghuman as the speaker categorically told the opposition members that he would not allow tabling of the resolution as he still did not have a copy of it.

‘Ghuman’s house raided without warrant’

At the outset of the proceedings, Mr Sher Zaman rose to seek permission to speak on a point of order, but his request was turned down by Speaker Durrani. However, the chair assured him that he would be allowed to speak later.

Speaker bars opposition from bringing resolution against MPA’s arrest

“I will allow you [to speak] but after Question Hour,” Durrani said, adding that he had already called a report on the arrest of the PTI lawmaker.

After his assurance, PTI members took their seats and waited for Question Hour to complete to raise the matter again.

As Question Hour concluded, the PTI’s parliamentary party leader rose to tell the chair that he wanted to table a resolution to condemn the arrest of Mr Ghuman, but the speaker did not allow him.

“I allowed you to speak on a point of order and not to move the resolution,” Speaker Durrani reminded Mr Sher Zaman and asked him to speak on a point of order or sit down.

Mr Sher Zaman said that his party lawmakers might leave the house if the chair wanted so. His sarcastic remarks, however, did not appease Speaker Durrani, who told the PTI members that they had been coming to disturb the house for the past four years.

Despite repeated intervention by the chair, Mr Sher Zaman continued to talk about the MPA’s arrest and said that the police raided his residence in the wee hours without a warrant and took him away.

Turning off Sher Zaman’s microphone, the speaker said that the PTI legislators had already raised the matter with him in the chamber. “I have summoned a report from assembly secretary,” he said, adding that he was also intimated about the arrest of the MPA as required under rules.

No decision on production order

The PTI members requested the speaker for issuance of MPA Ghuman’s production order.

The speaker, however, told them that he would make a decision on it after getting the report. “Let me get the report and go through it,” he added.

The protesting PTI members, who had gathered in front of the speaker’s rostrum, started chanting slogans, demanding immediate release of their colleague.

While the PTI lawmakers were still protesting, Speaker Durrani called the pre-budget discussion allowing Sheharyar Mahar of the Grand Democratic Alliance to deliver his pre-budget speech.

However, the uproar did not let him to say a word and a visibly irked speaker adjourned the house to Wednesday (today).

Published in Dawn, March 15th, 2023