- Barrister Gohar demands military leadership should take Parliament into confidence first
- Omar Ayub argues peace can only be achieved through the rule of law, not by force
- PTI-backed SIC members walk out of NA session in protest against being denied opportunity to speak
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and its members under the umbrella of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) on Sunday refused to support any military operation, demanding that military leadership should take Parliament into confidence first.
Speaking to the media outside Parliament House in Islamabad after walking out from the National Assembly on Sunday, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar emphasised that any military operation must involve parliamentary consent, saying that the Parliament was supreme under the Constitution.”
He called for an in-camera briefing by military leaders, citing previous practices.
He asserted that no matter how empowered a committee was, it could not supersede Parliament and that there were “rules” according to which the apex committee should approve the plans for ‘Operation Azm-i-Istehkam’.
The PTI chairman said, “It is our demand […] that if there is any operation — whether intelligence-based or full-fledged or in certain districts or villages or tehsils — it is necessary to take this Parliament into confidence.”
He told the media that their walkout from the NA session was in protest of being denied the opportunity to speak.
He alleged that lawmakers from his party were denied the chance to speak and therefore staged a walkout in protest.
On the occasion, former NA speaker Asad Qaiser demanded the same: “I simply demand that if any decision has been taken [to launch an operation], then it be brought before Parliament and Parliament be taken into confidence.”
He declared, “We cannot endorse any military operation without parliamentary involvement. Significant decisions are being made without consulting the opposition.”
Qaiser questioned the effectiveness of past operations and pointed out the inconsistency of imposing taxes on Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (PATA) while conducting operations.
Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub said they had wanted to speak during the NA session but were not allowed.
Demanding “due share and due right”, Ayub alleged that NA Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq’s “attitude” towards the opposition was “not right”.
The leader of the opposition highlighted the necessity of parliamentary approval for operations.
“Chinese officials, during their visit, expressed concerns over CPEC security,” he noted.
Ayub argued that peace can only be achieved through the rule of law, not by force.
The development comes a day after the Central Apex Committee of National Action Plan, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, approved “Operation Azm-e-Istehkam” reinvigorate and re-energise national anti-terrorism campaign for eradication of the terrorism and extremism across the country.
The meeting, held in Islamabad on Saturday, included key federal cabinet members such as the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Defence Minister, Interior Minister, Finance Minister, Law Minister, and Information Minister.
Chief ministers from all provinces and Gilgit-Baltistan, services chiefs, provincial chief secretaries, and other senior civilian, military, and law enforcement officials also attended.
The forum conducted a comprehensive review of the ongoing anti-terrorism campaign and internal security situation. It examined the progress of the National Action Plan’s multi-domain principles and highlighted areas where implementation was lacking. Emphasis was placed on addressing these shortcomings as a priority.
Sloganeering, chaos in NA against military operation
The National Assembly session, chaired by Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, witnessed chaotic situation when Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-backed members of Sunni Ittehad Councils (SIC) staged a walkout from the House during budget discussion.
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Mahesh Kumar Malani criticised the budget as challenging and dictated by the IMF, mentioning that their chairman had to reluctantly accept it.
Adding to the opposition’s discontent, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) member Shahida Akhtar argued that the budget is full of attractive words but essentially crafted to meet IMF’s desires. She questioned the increased benefits to IPPs and demanded an audit to ensure transparency.
Further criticisms came from Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s (MQM-P) Aminul Haq, highlighting that the budget is exhausted by paying interest on loans. Haq compared Pakistan’s situation unfavourably to Afghanistan and India and called for an agricultural tax on those profiting from wheat sales.
PPP’s Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah echoed these concerns, warning that the budget would increase public hardships and emphasising the need to control population growth to improve fiscal outcomes.
In response to the walkout, government ministers quickly intervened, urging the opposition to return to the assembly.
Following these appeals, opposition leader Omar Ayub Khan led the members back to the house.
The Sunni Ittehad Council protested vocally against giving the microphone to Khawaja Asif, raising slogans to halt the operations in FATA. They also voiced strong opposition to the operations in KP and condemned the killing of Pakhtuns.
