Islamabad, Pakistan — In the backdrop of detention of its legislatures inside the Parliament House, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Tuesday suspended five security officials. The suspension comes days after plainclothesmen entered the building and detained at least 11 PTI legislators belonging to the opposition.
It occurred in the wee hours of Tuesday morning when the power supply to the building was disconnected and plainclothesmen barged into the Services Branch of the Parliament House. PTI legislators, including Chief Whip Malik Amir Dogar and other prominent figures including Zain Qureshi and Nasim Ali Shah, were arrested.
Thereupon, Speaker Sadiq ordered a comprehensive probe into the arrests and called for footage from all entry gates of the Parliament House. Upon rumpus created by the PTI members, the Speaker declared that he would not allow compromise on dignity of the Parliament at all.
The NA secretariat issued an office order on Tuesday and suspended Sergeant-at-Arms Muhammad Ishfaq Ashraf (BPS-20) for 120 days with immediate effect under the Civil Servants (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules, 2020. Four other security officials, including Security Assistant Waqas Ahmed along with junior assistants Obaidullah, Muhammad Waheed Safdar, and Muhammad Haroon were also suspended for the same period.
Early Morning Raid at Parliament House
The arrests were reportedly made after a raid by a well-equipped police contingent stationed outside Parliament House hours before the operation. It was headed by Senior Superintendent of Police Arsalan Jahanzeb, with unmarked vehicles arriving at the scene shortly before the cutting off of the electricity.
Once taken inside, PTI legislators were rounded up and removed from Parliament House in different vehicles. The detained members were later handed over to the police for further disposal in accordance with the law.
PTI protest, Speaker’s statement
In the next session of the National Assembly, Speaker Sadiq was clear that dignity of Parliament would not be compromised and called deliberations with the parliamentary leaders, including PTI and PML-N. The Speaker summoned IGP Islamabad Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi to his chamber and took details on arrests; he ordered him to present the detained MNAs in the Parliament.
The arrest of the PTI leadership came after the party’s “Sangjani power show” on Monday. It was further confirmed that police also took PTI’s central leadership into custody, including Sher Afzal Marwat, Zubair Khan, and advocate Shoaib Shaheen, from various parts of Islamabad.
Suspension of Security Officials
The suspension of the security officials is a major development in the aftermath of the arrests. According to the rules, under the provisions of rule 5 of the Civil Servants (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules, 2020, Sergeant-at-Arms Ashraf and other suspended officials will be entitled to draw pay and allowances during the period of their suspension. It states that a civil servant may be suspended if any sort of proceedings against him/her are instituted.
The investigation summoned by the Speaker is in process, and more will be forthcoming as events continue to unfold.
The arrest of PTI lawmakers from inside Parliament House has evoked outrage and questions regarding the security protocols on one of Pakistan’s most important institutions. The prompt action of Speaker Ayaz Sadiq to suspend the security personnel and order an inquiry itself portrays the gravity of the situation.