Islamabad, December 17, 2024: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser has alleged being pressured to resign, claiming that the current Speaker, Ayaz Sadiq, has been briefed to accept his resignation if submitted.
Speaking during a session of the National Assembly, Qaiser criticized the treatment of Members of the National Assembly (MNAs), accusing the government of harassment. “Under what law are MNAs being targeted and intimidated? Members feel threatened by the ‘establishment government’ and its administration,” he remarked.
He further alleged that PTI members in Punjab were facing home raids and warned that the assembly’s functionality would collapse if resignations were coerced. Qaiser also criticized a special committee formed to address these concerns, lamenting its lack of progress.
In response, Federal Minister for Food Security Rana Tanveer Hussain dismissed the allegations as baseless. He urged PTI to file a Privilege Motion if harassment was indeed occurring. Hussain accused PTI of behaving like “Mussolini and Hitler” during its tenure in Punjab and suggested that Qaiser, despite being a “good man,” was being misled.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hanif Abbasi also addressed the session, warning against divisive rhetoric during what he called a “critical period” for the country. He accused PTI members of stoking divisions and recalled incidents where the party allegedly abandoned workers and attacked state institutions.
