Declaring everyone a ‘traitor’ dangerous for the country: Mohsin Dawar

The leader of the MNA and the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), Mohsin Dawar, said Thursday that the trend of declaring everyone as "traitors" should stop, calling it a "dangerous project" for the country.

He was speaking at the National Assembly a day after he was released from jail, where he was arrested for a day. Dawar and 28 others were arrested Tuesday outside the Islamabad National Press Club, where they had gathered to organize a protest against the arrest of PTM chief Manzoor Pashteen.

"Those who have launched the project to declare everyone in the country as traitors must be arrested. Otherwise, there will come a time when the entire nation, except a few government officials, will be declared traitors," he said in his speech to The lower house.

Editorial: Who is a traitor?

Dawar said Manzoor Pashteen was arrested on January 27, two days after Defense Minister Pervez Khattak offered to hold a dialogue with the group.

"Who directs the affairs of the country? We are being labeled traitors," he said, noting that similar charges were filed against people like Bacha Khan, Wali Khan, Asfandyar Wali Khan, GM Syed, Fatima Jinnah and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

"The charges against these people have never been proven in any court of law. The only person convicted of treason charges is [former military ruler retired] Gen Pervez Musharraf.

"When he (Musharraf) was convicted, an institution spokesman questioned the conviction. This is a dangerous thing. Whoever opposes the Constitution is a traitor."

Dawar said he was among the 29 people who were arrested outside the press club while protesting against Pashteen's arrest. "The policeman who dragged me and put me in the vehicle was raising slogans of & # 39; Islam Zindabad & # 39; and & # 39; Death to India & # 39 ;.

"What kind of mentality is developing? Now we are also being declared incredulous. We were very good Muslims when they used us in Afghan jihad," he said.

The legislator said that the workers of the (now ruling) PTI had attacked the House of Parliament and PTV offices and even Prime Minister Imran Khan and President Arif Alvi faced terrorism charges.

"We have not damaged a single plant during our movement," he said, referring to the manifestations of PTM.

In response to Dawar, the Minister of Communications and Postal Services, Murad Saeed, said PTM leaders had abused and used "expletives" against a parliament and parliamentarians in a recent speech.

He demanded PTM leaders in the house to apologize for the alleged speech before they could discuss the issues of tribal areas.

He claimed that the PTM leaders had also opposed the fence of the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which he said was crucial to stop the flow of terrorists from Afghanistan to the country.

"Pakistan became safe in securing its borders. But you say the fence must be cut," Saeed said, addressing PTM lawmakers.

The minister questioned why Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who had gone to Twitter to express his concern over Pashteen's arrest, and the Afghan parliament "begin to issue statements in favor" of the PTM every time an incident occurs in Pakistan.

Saeed alleged that Dawar had recognized Afghanistan's support for the PTM and questioned why "no action is being taken against him."

He said the PTI government had carried out several projects for the welfare and development of tribal areas and asked PTM leaders to "play their part in this journey of progress."

Vice President Qasim Suri adjourned the NA session until 10:30 am Friday.

Child molesters must be & # 39; stoned to death & # 39 ;: PTI MNA

Previously, during a discussion about child abuse cases in the country, PTI MNA Imran Khattak asked that the public be hanged from those involved in such incidents.

He also said that those guilty of the recent murder of a seven-year-old girl in Nowshera should be "stoned to death."

"We talked about [establishing] The state of Medina. In Madina, those people were stoned to death, "Khattak said.

State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Ali Muhammad Khan, said Prime Minister Imran and the government wanted the death penalty for rapists and child molesters.

He said the government had submitted the Zainab alert bill, which he said was late approved by the National Assembly's human rights committee, headed by PPP president Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

"Unfortunately, the PPP opposes the death penalty. It is Islamic and in accordance with the feelings of the people," said the minister.

Khan said he had written a letter to the law minister suggesting public hangings in cases of child abuse when the Farishta rape case was reported in Islamabad.

"Public hanging of rapists is the only way to create deterrence," he added.

& # 39; Government sweeping parliament & # 39;

At the beginning of today's session, opposition lawmakers protested against the government's decision to convene the NA session ahead of time "just to seek the extension of the ordinances."

Raja Pervez Ashraf of the PPP said that it had been decided that the session would begin on February 10.

"After seeing the agenda, we have realized why the session was convened early," he said, and accused the government of enacting laws through ordinances.

"This is an insult to the house. We come here for legislation and not for passing ordinances."

He said the government wanted to run the house through ordinances and was demolishing parliament.

"The government keeps sleeping and wakes up on the 120th to seek extension [in ordinances].

"On the one hand, we are negotiating the NAB laws and on the other [the government] is bringing the NAB ordinance. "

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Khan said the government had introduced ordinances because the legislative process took time. He added that the ordinances will be presented to the chamber in the form of laws and that the opposition could give its point of view when the laws are referred to the relevant committees.

The opposition withdrew from the assembly after pointing out the lack of quorum. However, he ordered a recount and declared the house in order.

The parliamentary secretary for planning of Kanwal Shauzab presented a resolution that seeks a 120-day extension to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority Ordinance (CPEC), 2019. The lower house approved the resolution.

The Federal Minister for Economic Affairs, Hammad Azhar, presented a resolution seeking an extension of 120 days in the period of the Tax Law Ordinance (Amendment), 2019. This resolution was also approved by the NA.