A joint session of the Parliament on Thursday passed a resolution approving the imposition of governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The joint session of the National Assembly and the Senate is taking place a day after both Houses of Parliament, in separate sittings, passed resolutions endorsing the imposition of emergency in KP.

According to Article 232, if the “president acts on his own, the Proclamation of Emergency shall be placed” before both Houses of the Parliament for approval by each House within 10 days.

Meanwhile, a proclamation for governor’s rule issued under Article 234 “shall be laid before a joint sitting and shall cease to be in force at the expiration of two months”, unless a joint sitting approves its extension. However, such a measure shall not remain in force for more than six months.

During Thursday’s joint session, the resolution for emergency in KP was adopted with 240 votes in favour and 46 against it.

Opposition members turned up carrying placards in their hands inscribed with slogans, such as “emergency na manzoor (emergency is unacceptable)”.

At the outset of the proceedings, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry presented a motion under Rule 232 of the Parliament (Joint Sitting) Rules 1973 to suspend certain sub-rules.

As loud noes echoed and opposition members chanted “emergency na manzoor”, NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq again put the motion to a vote by asking the members to stand up, which was then adopted with 214-56 votes.

Chaudhry then moved two resolutions before the joint sitting — one for the Proclamation of Emergency under Article 232 and the second for the proclamation of governor’s rule under Article 234.

Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar then opened the discussion on the two resolutions.

Noting that a resolution regarding the imposition of emergency also required to be passed by a joint sitting, Tarar said a special mechanism has been put in place in KP to run its affairs during the emergency and governor’s rule.

He said members of the treasury benches were ready to reply to any query raised by the opposition.

The law minister highlighted that the PTI-led government in KP, which now stands non-functional, was advised time and again to tackle terrorism. He again lamented that PTI leaders did not attend any funeral of martyrs who lost their lives in terrorist attacks.

Tarar went on to stress that governor’s rule was imposed under Article 234, which allows the move if any provincial government was being run against the Constitution.

Explaining the constitutional process to approve the resolution for emergency, he said the joint sitting could reject it by a total majority, ie 51 per cent. Similarly, the resolution for governor’s rule also required a total majority of votes for approval.

Achakzai blames ‘faulty decisions’

Speaking in the Parliament, Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai blamed “faulty decisions” of the country’s rulers for the current situation.

He enquired about the whereabouts of Sohail Afridi, the KP chief minister whose role is now non-functional and was reported to be in preventative custody.

Achakzai, who leads the opposition alliance Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP), accused PML-N’s Sadiq of not running the house judiciously as the speaker.

He said the opposition was ready for dialogue on issues such as empowerment of Parliament and eradicating terrorism of all kinds.

“If you hold dialogue on these issues, we will give unconditional support,” he added.

The opposition leader compared the KP imbroglio to the 1971 separation of East Pakistan, noting that Afridi was called a “terrorist”.

“Were multiple attacks on the heads of different political parties in the past in KP committed by Sohail Afridi?” he asked.

More to follow