BNP-M Presiden Sardar Akhtar Mengal has insisted on action against his party senators to block coercion for any purpose after his two lawmakers allegedly voted for the 26th Constitutional Amendment under duress.
“This is the party’s decision. We have asked them to resign. If they can be used for this amendment, tomorrow they can be used for another matter by any means,” he said while appearing on Spotlight with Munizae Jahangir which was aired on Aaj News on Monday.
When asked, he said that defection law should be implemented as per the Constitution.
He claimed that the government was compelled to pass the amendment. According to Mengal, his party could have added issues related to Balochistan in the bill if the bill was timely shared and the lawmakers were not coerced.
The BNP-M president informed PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari when the latter had asked about such reports.
Mengal also mentioned how the National Assembly came into action to de-seat PML-N lawmaker Adil Bazai for refusing to vote on the amendment. He claimed that Bazai, a former PTI leader, was forced to join the N-league after election.
In response to a question, he asked: “Is this how Parliament is made supreme? Is this how democracy is strengthened? But a man who is over 70 years old is brought to Parliament in a wheelchair. This shows you have paralysed democracy.”
He was of the view that the PPP and the PML-N did not bring the amendment. Mengal refused to defend the judiciary while taking note of its past decisions, but he said: “Nawaz Sharif laid the foundation of anti-terrorism court and he himself was the first to get punished by it. Nawaz also laid the foundation of the accountability court that was used to punish him and the PPP.”
The BNP-M chief also mentioned former NAB Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal was made the head of the missing persons commission and none of the governments in the past removed him.
“Three governments changed. Why is he not removed? Because he is the nominee of the establishment,” he said and alleged that the establishment controlled politicians.
The host asked if there were more amendments to come in future as independent senator Faisal Vawda claimed. “Have you not noticed why Vawda and Bilawal are on the same page? Bilawal is also active for the same purpose as Vawda.”
The BNP-M chief claimed that “Aabpara” threatened politicians before the vote. “The establishment and the army have always considered the Constitution a piece of paper.”
He said: “There are possibilities of more amendments. Political parties have given a way out. I had no objection to clauses, but the way to do it. This is a violation of the Constitution.”
