A day after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers were pursued within the Parliament premises, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, on Tuesday, reprimanded Islamabad’s Inspector General of Police, Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi, demanding the immediate release of the arrested lawmakers.
“You cannot arrest anyone from the Parliament House or lodges. These parliamentarians should be released immediately,” Speaker Sadiq stated. His directive came after the arrest of PTI lawmakers, following a fiery speech by party leader Ali Muhammad Khan in the lower house of Parliament earlier that day.
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Expressing his dismay, Sadiq mentioned he had viewed footage of the arrest of PTI leader Sher Afzal Marwat, questioning the method of the arrest. “What way was it to arrest a parliamentarian?” he asked the IG. He emphasized that he would not remain silent on the matter and vowed to take action. “Whatever happened in the Parliament will have to be protested. I have ordered all the videos,” he said, summoning all political party leaders to the chamber.
He stressed the seriousness of the situation and declared his intent to file a case against those involved in the incident. The Speaker also summoned the IG of Islamabad, the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of operations, and the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) operations.
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He stated that he was not defending his party’s founder, Imran Khan, but standing up for democracy. “We are not in Israel but in Pakistan,” he declared, questioning who had taken his party’s lawmakers from the Parliament and demanding to know the identities of those “masked people.”
Khan called for the application of Article 6 against those responsible for the incident, saying it would be remembered as a “dark chapter in the democratic history of Pakistan.” He asserted that the attack was an affront not only to democracy but also to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
He also recounted the difficulties he faced arriving at the Parliament due to the heightened security checks in the capital.
Exchange Between Asif and Khan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif criticized remarks made at a PTI public rally, asserting that they undermined Pakistan’s integrity, unity, and federal structure. He condemned linking Pakistan’s existence to any individual and denounced comments made by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, particularly those targeting women, political leaders, and the journalist community.
Asif labeled September 8 as a “black day” in Pakistan’s history and accused the PTI of trying to gain power through backdoor channels while avoiding dialogue with other political parties. He further condemned the actions of PTI supporters during the May 9 incident, which included attacks on defense installations and memorials of martyrs.
During Asif’s speech, PTI lawmakers — Khan and Shandana Gulzar Khan — protested, leading to a heated exchange. Responding to the protest, Asif said, “They start shouting when I begin telling facts.” He recalled that during the PTI government, Article 6 was imposed against him with the backing of Ali Muhammad Khan.
The Defence Minister dismissed the protests as a “drama” and criticized the PTI’s failure to strengthen democracy and the Parliament. In a pointed remark to Shandana, Asif said, “I don’t want to talk to you, or you’ll complain you are a woman.” When Khan advised him to mind his manners, Asif retorted, “I learned these manners from you.”
Background on the Arrests On Monday, the Islamabad police arrested PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan and lawmaker Sher Afzal Marwat outside Parliament House, citing violations of the newly enacted public gathering law during the party’s Sunday rally in the capital. PTI leaders Omar Ayub Khan and Zartaj Gul Wazir were also reportedly set to be taken into custody. Heavy police contingents were deployed around the Parliament, and all entry and exit routes to the Red Zone were closed, except for Margala Road.
Ali Muhammad Khan, however, was not detained when he left the Parliament. Marwat was arrested for breaching regulations under the newly introduced Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Bill, 2024, following clashes with police personnel the previous day. It was also reported that several other PTI lawmakers, including Zain Qureshi, Naseem-ur-Rehman, and Zubair Khan, were arrested from the Parliament House.