- Stresses there is need for a ‘general amnesty’ as ‘new chapter’ began after Feb 8 polls
- Says PTI deserves reserved seats, it is their right and they should not be deprived of it
ISLAMABAD: PML-N Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed on Friday called for the release of former premier Imran Khan from jail, dubbing him a political prisoner and the allocation of reserved seats to the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), the new home of PTI-backed winning candidates.
Speaking on the floor of the Senate, Hussain recalled he had called for the release of former president Asif Ali Zardari, Yousuf Gilani and Javed Hashmi during late General Pervez Musharraf’s rule, as well as of ex-premier Nawaz Sharif in 2018.
“Even today, I have, first of all, demanded that Imran Khan be released. He is a political prisoner; and it should be across the board.” Noting that there was now a “new chapter” after the Feb 8 elections, the seasoned politician said there was a need for a “healing touch”. “Include everyone and give a general amnesty,” Hussain said, claiming that a “general amnesty was even given to the TTP that killed our children”.
“And the reserved seats that the PTI deserves, it is their right and they should get it; they should not be deprived of it,” he added. Hussain further demanded that all missing persons across the country should be recovered.
On the other hand Senate Deputy Chairman Mirza Muhammad Afridi has issued directives for the issuance of production orders for the incarcerated PTI leader Ejaz Chaudhry.
Speaking in the Senate, PTI’s Ali Zafar noted that the presidential election was due tomorrow (Saturday) and that it was Chaudhry’s right to cast a vote.
Zafar said that the jailed PTI leader had been behind bars for months in cases pertaining to the May 9 riots that followed ex-premier Imran Khan’s arrest. “Inclusion of Ejaz Chaudhry in the Senate session is necessary,” Zafar said, adding that it would be “shameful” if the Upper House could not summon a senator for the presidential election. “Why should we seek help from the courts for this?” he asked.
Stating that Chaudhry was ill and facing liver problems, the PTI senator demanded that a medical board be formed and the jailed politician’s check-up be conducted at the Pakistan Insitute of Medical Sciences. Subsequently, Afridi ordered the issuance of the production order, noting, “It is Ejaz Chaudhry’s right that he cast a vote in the presidential elections.
Dar calls for national reconciliation
Meanwhile, PML-N leader Ishaq Dar expressed dismay at the ruckus witnessed in the National Assembly in recent days and urged political parties to work towards “reconciliation”.
“What we have witnessed in the last few weeks, this should be handled,” he said. “A symbolic protest is fine but by doing it all the time, the message being sent to the world is not good.
“You have seen what happened in the National Assembly, but this house has its sanctity, symbolism [and] position, which warrants that even if we have to protest, we have to do so within the parliamentary limits, with thoughtfulness and consideration,” the PML-N leader said.
Stating he was a “big believer of reconciliation”, Dar recalled incumbent Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s call for national reconciliation and stressed that political parties should not have any “personal enmity” amongst each other.
“We are working for the system [and] for Pakistan and with that spirit, if there is something against our national interest, then we should definitely stop each other.
“Charter of Democracy and Charter of Economy are the need of time,” the PML-N stalwart asserted.
