ISLAMABAD: National Assembly and Senate have approved a resolution endorsing the imposition of emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by a majority vote, while opposition lawmakers opposed the move.
The resolution was presented in the National Assembly by Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry to endorse the president’s proclamation of emergency in the province.
The session was chaired by National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. At the outset, the government moved a motion to suspend the question hour, which was opposed by the opposition but passed by a majority vote.
Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan was also present during the debate.
Defending the decision, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said the government had acted after extensive deliberations, citing internal unrest, cross-border infiltration and provincial government actions as threats to national security.
Tarar said the Constitution required a presidential proclamation of emergency to be placed before both houses of Parliament for approval within 10 days. He said the resolution had been brought before the National Assembly to meet that constitutional requirement.
Responding to comparisons with the events of Oct. 12, 1999, Tarar said the government had thoroughly discussed the matter in the federal cabinet before taking the decision.
He also cited an increase in militant violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying more than 3,700 terrorist incidents had been reported in the province over the past year.
The law minister said the military and police had made sacrifices and achieved gains in the fight against terrorism, but the security situation had subsequently deteriorated.
The government described the emergency as necessary to address worsening security conditions and protect national security. Opposition lawmakers, however, challenged the decision and objected to the approval of the resolution.
The parliamentary approval advances the constitutional process concerning the emergency proclamation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Following the approval from NA, the Senate session was held under the chairmanship of Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani. During the proceedings, the Senate also approved a motion moved by Senator Shahadat Awan to defer the question-and-answer session scheduled for the day.
Speaking in the upper house, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said Rules 132 and 133, which govern ordinary resolutions moved by private members, did not apply to a resolution introduced under a constitutional requirement. He added that the seven-day notice requirement was not applicable in this case.
Rejecting objections to the procedure, the law minister also said the government could not deviate from the Constitution or the rules and regulations of the House.
He maintained that members opposing the resolution should participate in the debate and, if they disagreed with it, reject it through a vote.
The minister called for the matter to be put to a vote after discussion so that the opinion of the House could be ascertained. Following this, the Senate approved the imposition of emergency in K-P as the opposition walked out in protest.
Later in the day, the president summoned a joint session of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) tomorrow morning at 11 under Clause 1, Section 54 (Summoning and prorogation of Majlis-e-Shoora) of the Constitution of Pakistan. The notification regarding it was issued by the NA today.
In a separate notification issued by the NA Legislation Adviser Muhammad Mushtaq, the secretariat demanded the production of NA Members Sana Ullah Khan Masti Khel and Dawar Khan Kundi for all the upcoming NA sessions. The lawmakers are currently in the custody of Punjab Police.
