‘Happening under your watch’: PTI’s Shibli lashes out at treasury benches for actions against party

Shibli Faraz, opposition leader in the Senate, on Friday lashed out at the treasury benches for actions taken against the PTI, which he said were being carried out “under their watch”.

Speaking in the Senate, a visibly furious Faraz said, “The fascism, oppression, violence that you have begun [is ongoing] and this is all happening under your watch.”

His statements come after the Islamabad police and local authorities demolished a part of PTI’s central secretariat building in Islamabad late last night, before sealing the premises for allegedly violating building bylaws.

Subsequently, the PTI approached the Islamabad police chief against 35 officials who raided the office, stating that the action was taken in the presence of a United Nations delegation.

Speaking about last night’s action on the PTI office, Faraz claimed that along with the demolition, party workers were baton-charged and head of party’s Islamabad chapter, Amir Mughal, was arrested.

“You cannot do politics by force. You can take away our party symbol, jail our [party] chairman, demolish our offices, raid our homes but cannot erase the affection for Imran Khan from the hearts of the majority of 250 million people of this country,” the PTI senator said.

“Whatever oppression and tyranny you may do, it will be chronicled. […] It will be very upsetting when history will be written tomorrow,” he added.

Claiming that the PML-N-led coalition government did not secure more than 27 seats in the National Assembly in the February 8 general elections, Faraz said: “You have come [to power] on a stolen mandate so at least give the impression that you are good people.

“Through these actions and tactics, you are not winning the hearts of Pakistanis or your voters [but] creating hatred,” the senator added.

Faraz then noted that the economic statistics did not show a positive outlook, which he said was due to the atmosphere of political instability.

The PTI senator said that if the “colleagues” on the treasury benches did not join the party’s condemnation of the action on the party office, it “meant they endorse it”.

Responding to Faraz’s speech, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar highlighted that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) had been ordered to speed up action against encroachments.

He said multiple notices were sent to “remind you that you have constructed two floors without a map and approval and have placed containers and set up a parking shed in a public area”.

Noting that the last notice was sent on May 10, the law minister said the action on the PTI office was in accordance with the law, adding that he had talked to the CDA chairman about the matter.

Responding to Faraz saying that Tarar was “making strong [verbal] attacks on the judiciary”, the law minister said he took “serious exception” to the remark.