SWABI: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader and former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser has expressed apprehension that the country was moving towards a ‘civil war’ due to the wrong decisions of those elements that rigged the 2024 general elections and weakened the parliament.

“The Bannu situation is a new drama to pave the way for military offensive in the province, but we will not allow any operation to take place,” PTI leader asserted.

He was addressing the oath-taking ceremony of Swabi Bar Association (SBA) here on Monday. Provincial Minister for Law,Parliamentary Affairs and Human Rights Aftab Alam Khan Afridi was the chief guest on the occasion. The ceremony was also attended by Minister for irrigation Aqibullah Khan, judicial officers, officials of district administration, PTI leaders and others.

Asad Qaiser, while delivering a fiery speech, said that their utmost desire was that the parliament must be a supreme body as per Pakistan’s Constitution; judiciary to be independent, and supremacy of rule of law to be allowed to prevail in the country.

Says Bannu situation created to pave way for military action

He said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had won just 70 seats of National Assembly but they were awarded 180 seats, and that was why the PTI leadership had branded present government as a fake one.

He said the federal government was now planning to establish the constitutional court, which he described as ‘a new idea’. He questioned about the status of the parliament in the presence of such constitutional courts.

The former speaker said that the biggest problem was that the masses had lost confidence in the national institutions, and those who had rigged the elections and weakened the parliament were responsible for the entire mess.

He said that the intelligence agencies had no authority to interfere in the political affairs of the country, but in our country, the situation was totally other way round.

He said that the leaders of PML-N had abused and insulted Pakhtuns, imposed war on them and spread the Kalashnikov culture in the society.

He also condemned the illegal arrests of PTI chairman barrister Gauhar Khan, secretary information Rauf Hasan and others.

He announced Rs50 million for development work of Swabi bar and installation of solar system in the judicial complex.

Addressing the event, the Provincial Law Minister Aftab Alam said that after 9/11, Pakistan had received 50 billion dollars from various institutions and countries, but that huge amount was embezzled completely and nothing was spent on the rehabilitation of the affected people in the region.

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2024