Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq suspended five officials for security lapse at the National Assembly (NA).
The decision was taken after dozens of PTI lawmakers were arrested from the premises and within National Assembly on Monday night. The operation continued till Tuesday morning. According to the PTI lawmakers, they were attacked by masked men, as they continued to hide and seek refuge in the Parliament House.
The Sergeant-at-arms Ashfaq Ashraf has been suspended for four months over negligence in duty.
Four other security staff members, including Security Assistant Waqas Ahmed and Junior Security Assistants Ubaidullah, Waheed Safdar, and Muhammad Haroon, were also suspended.
Decision came after members of Pakistan People’s Party, Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam, and Muttahida Qaumi Movement condemned the entry of police and law enforces in the building, calling it an attack on the Parliament.
Arrested leaders include Chairman PTI Barrister Gohar, Barrister Sher Afzal Marwat, and Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram. Shoaib Shaheen was arrested from his office.
MNA Zain Qureshi was also arrested from the Parliament House. Meanwhile, MNA Zartaj Gul Wazir managed to escape the scene. Additionally, police detained Owais Ahmed Chatha, Syed Shah Ahmed, Sunni Ittehad Council’s Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Yousaf Khan, Maulana Naseem Shah, and Ahmed Shah Khattak.
Barrister Gohar was released on bail a day after arrest. Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, he condemned the decision to suspend NA officials calling them ‘innocent’. He urged Ayaz Sadiq to take action against the actual people responsible for the arrests of PTI leaders.
Read more: Political Turmoil in Pakistan: Speaker Demands Release of PTI Lawmakers Amid Tensions in Parliament
Barrister Gohar condemned the conduct of the government, asserting that they have been targetting PTI women. He reminded them that KP government ,where PTI rules, can also make similar cases against PMLN lawmakers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. However, despite pressure from the party, we decided not to harass PMLN lawmakers.