ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary committee on Wednesday expressed its concern over the events that occurred on November 26 during the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) protest in the capital and decided to invite the inspector general and deputy inspector general of Islamabad police to the next meeting for a detailed briefing on the incident.

A meeting of the Standing Committee on Human Rights was held in the Parliament House under the chairmanship of MNA Sahibzada Mohammad Hamid Raza. Besides taking several other decisions, the committee members decided to visit Adiala jail next week to see for themselves the facilities being provided to the prisoners.

In a heated discussion with SP City Khalid Awan, the committee chairman, Sahibzada Mohammad Hamid Raza, inquired about the Nov 26 event during which protesters were fired upon. “There was continuous firing for six hours,” he alleged.

In his reply, the SP City said the police did not fire at the PTI protesters; instead they were present there to safeguard the parliament.

Members to visit Adiala jail next week to assess facilities

Hamid Raza responded that in the next meeting, the committee would inquire about who fired at the peaceful protesters.

Nonetheless, Hamid Raza directed that IGP and commissioner Islamabad be summoned for a comprehensive briefing on the events of November 26.

Hamid Raza also took notice of the events outside Adiala jail in November when he and other PTI members including Opposition Leader in National Assembly Omer Ayub and Opposition Leader in Senate Shibli Faraz were arrested.

“We will not tolerate such manhandling of elected members. We will hold all those responsible for such mistreatment accountable,” he said while issuing directions to summon officials from the Punjab home ministry with a complete report of the incident.

He also emphasised on bringing jail reforms.

Talking to Dawn after the meeting on the issue, Hamid Raza said: “We have already written to the National Assembly speaker to allow the delegation from the committee to visit Adiala jail on January 8. We will also visit other jails. These visits are necessary to improve conditions at jails across the country.”

The committee voiced concerns over the human rights ministry’s poor performance, noting its failure to effectively protect the rights of Pakistani citizens over time.

It directed the ministry to establish better coordination with the interior ministry to ensure safeguarding of citizens’ rights. As a result, the committee postponed the matter for further discussion in its next meeting.

The committee felicitated the nation on New Year and prayed that Almighty Allah help us overcome problems in order to bring prosperity to Pakistan.

The committee stressed the need for the treasury and opposition benches to adopt substantial measures to bring political stability in Pakistan so that it could advance in a prompt way.

The meeting was attended by MNAs Mohammad Hanif Abbasi, Zeb Jaffar, Syeda Nosheen Iftikhar, Sabheen Ghoury, Mohammad Riaz Fatyana, Gohar Ali Khan, Zartaj Gul (through video link) Dr Nelson Azeem, Sehar Kamran, Wajiha Qamar, Shahida Rehmani and Sharmila Sahiba Faruqui Hashaam.

Published in Dawn, January 2nd, 2025