ISLAMABAD: An unprecedented raid by plainclothesmen early Tuesday morning, aimed at detaining PTI lawmakers seeking refuge in the National Assembly, led to widespread condemnation across the political spectrum. The raid, which took place around 3 a.m., involved the disconnection of the Parliament House’s power supply and the forcible removal of PTI legislators from the building.
According to sources, a heavily equipped police contingent, led by SSP Operations Arslan Jahanzeb, had been stationed outside Parliament House for hours before unmarked vehicles arrived and cut the electricity. The ensuing raid resulted in the detention of several PTI MNAs, including Zain Qureshi, Amir Dogar, Sheikh Waqqas Akram, and Naseem Ali Shah. The lawmakers were initially taken into custody before being rearrested and transported to the CIA Centre.
Tempers flared during the National Assembly session, which resumed about eight hours after the raid. PTI leader Ali Mohammad Khan denounced the incident as a “black chapter” in Pakistan’s parliamentary history, questioning the identity and authority of the masked men involved. He criticized the raid as an attack on democracy and the Constitution.
Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai and PPP leader Naveed Qamar also voiced their condemnation, arguing that the incident exposed the ongoing struggle between democratic and anti-democratic forces. PML-N members, while condemning the raid, used the opportunity to criticize the PTI’s past actions, including their 2014 sit-in outside Parliament House and recent remarks made during a rally in Sangjani.
In response to the outcry, NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq has called for a thorough investigation into the arrests and ordered the production of the detained MNAs in the assembly. He also sought footage from all entry points of the Parliament House to support evidence-based action and announced plans to formulate new rules to prevent such incidents in the future.
Additionally, a bill proposing an increase in the number of Supreme Court judges to 23 was introduced in the National Assembly by PML-N lawmaker Danyal Chaudhry.
