Legislators on both sides of the aisle in the Senate demanded investigation into the recent sit-in at Faizabad to expose the characters behind it, as some of them called November 25 a day of the state’s surrender to an unruly mob after the government showed complete helplessness to deal with the crisis.
However, legislators on both sides of the aisle were unanimous in demanding a parliamentary probe into the sit-in and the way the government surrendered to the protestors by signing a one-page document.
According to report, Senator Aitzaz Ahsan lashed out at leadership of the sit-in for using abusive language during their protest and said that the sit-in had exposed the faces of some religious leaders.
While condemning the role of the government in dealing with the protestors, he said that the government had been conceding its space and surrendering its authority and added the government had surrendered the space for which the people got agitated. The biggest concession the government made in the agreement was the appreciation of the Chief of Army Staff.
Aitzaz said that the government was giving a wrong expression that a conspiracy was being thatched against it, as it was enjoying the government in the Centre and two provinces.
He criticised the participation of Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation summit held in Istanbul and questioned why PM did not accompany the other chief ministers for the summit.
PML-N Senator Saud Majeed termed the sit-in a conspiracy against the ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, which according to him, started from Model Town massacre.
The claim by the PML-N senator was rejected by Aitzaz Ahsan, who said a party, which enjoyed power in the Centre, Punjab, Balochistan, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit Baltistan, should explain if still conspiracies were hatched against it.
Senator John Kenneth Williams of PTI defended the role of the military in ending the sit-in on the request of federal government. The demand raised by the members of the upper house of the Parliament is justified and the Parliament should initiate proper inquiry on this issue to ascertain facts. It is imperative to expose the forces behind Faizabad sit-in because it had left for very negative image for the country. Religion was grossly misused for the vested interests of the some elements. Parliament should play leading role for the supremacy of constitution and rule of law in the country.