Sardar Ayaz Sadiq summons Islamabad IG, SSP.  Orders collection of video footage from all entry points of Parliament House.  ‘This is not Israel but Pakistan;’ Ali Muhammad Khan condemns arrests of PTI members .  Asif dares Gandapur to get Imran released from jail within 13 days.

ISLAMABAD  -  A day after several members of the opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, were arrested by Islamabad Police, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said Tuesday that he had ordered the collection of video footage from all entry points of the Parliament House. The Speaker also summoned Islamabad’s Inspector General of Police (IGP) Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi and the senior superintendent of police (SSP) for arresting PTI leaders within the jurisdiction of the Parliament. He also assured the PTI members that legal action would be taken against the officials on the basis of the evidence.

Responding to concerns raised by members, the Speaker called for taking a stand on the event of the previous night and said he would not remain silent on the issue. He said that an FIR would be registered if deemed necessary after reviewing the footage. Sadiq expressed his dismay over the arrests, recalling that he had previously registered an FIR in 2014 when parliament was attacked.

At least 12 PTI MNAs were arrested in addition to another party leader since last night as law enforcement agencies detained key leaders from various parts of Islamabad, including the Parliament House.

According to a parliamentary rule, police have to inform the National Assembly speaker before arresting any MNA, but the law enforcers did not seek permission from the custodian of the house before arresting the MNAs. Consequently, the speaker summoned IGP Rizvi and the senior superintendent of police (SSP).

Speaker also separately held meetings with IG Islamabad and members of political parties over the incident. The members, in a meeting with the Speaker National Assembly, condemned the incidents and asked the chair to take strict action on it. Syed Khursheed Shah, Azam Nazeer Tarar, Syed Naveed Qamar, Noor Alam Khan, Shandana Gulzar, Syed Amin Ul Haq, Chaudhary Salik Hussain, and other participated in

Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif supported the Speaker’s stance stating that the dignity of the House must be preserved.

Saeed Naveed Qamar called for a thorough investigation and appropriate actions concerning the incident.

Mir Manzoor Ali Talpur urged the Speaker to implement preventive measures to avoid such occurrences in the future, stressing the Speaker’s role as the custodian of the House.

Shahida Akhtar Ali condemned past incidents, including those from 2014, and called for efforts to strengthen Parliament.         She urged the Speaker to address the current situation with urgency.

Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said that speeches of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members at the public rally had challenged Pakistan’s integrity.

Speaking in the National Assembly, he said that the rally had undermined Pakistan’s integrity, unity, and federation. He condemned linking Pakistan’s existence with any individual, describing it as deplorable. He also strongly denounced the remarks made by Ali Amin Gandapur about attacking Punjab and his comments targeting women, political leadership, and the journalist community.

He criticised the remarks made by the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which he said hurt the sentiments of political leaders and media workers.

He termed September 8 as a “black day” in the country’s history in which Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had challenged the federation.

The minister expressed regret over PTI’s avoidance of dialogue with other political parties and alleged that PTI attempts to gain power through backdoor means.

He also regretted the PTI leadership’s actions targeting defense installations on May 9 and highlighted that the memorials of martyrs were attacked by PTI workers. He criticised PTI for failing to work towards strengthening democracy and Parliament.

The minister said that the people of Khyber Paktunkwana and Balochistan are highly patriotic and have made significant contributions to the country’s progress. He said that the people of the two provinces have made sacrifices to safeguard the nation’s borders.

“PTI’s members had given a deadline of 15 days to release their leader, now 13 days are left. We will wait for it at the Punjab boundary,” said Asif, the PTI has adopted dual standards as they were more interested in talking with the establishment.

On the same matter, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said that PTI members used objectionable language in the public meeting. “They initiated traditions of hatred in politics…They are never shy of using derogatory language even sitting on treasury benches in their government’s era,” he said and strongly condemned the inappropriate language used by the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa against the military and its leadership, women and journalists.

About PTI’s performance in KPK, Minister Tarar said these people have been in power in the KPK for more than 12 years. He said they misused government funds for personal publicity.

Another senior leader from treasury benches, Minister for Industries and Production Rana Tanveer Hussain criticised PTI for not caring democratic values in their government era. “PTI is responsible for weakening democracy and institutions in the country, “he remarked.

Other parties from treasury benches in their speeches criticised the arrests of PTI’s lawmakers but also raised objections over the objectionable language used by CM KPK in the public meeting.

PTI’s MNA Ali Muhammad Khan said these arrests of PTI’s members were actually an attack on democratic values. “This is not Israel but Pakistan, as parliamentarians have to take refuge at different places to avoid arrest,” he said, adding that this act was an attack on democracy and the constitution.

Minister for Industries and Production Rana Tanveer Hussain, responding to a calling attention notice raised by PPP’s MNA Asif Bhutto clarified that no proposal is under consideration for the closure or winding up of the Utility Stores Corporation.

To another call-attention notice, Minister of State for Finance Ali Pervaiz Malik said the government is committed to promote Islamic banking in the country. He said new Sharia-compliant certificates worth 50 billion rupees will be launched this month.