ISLAMABAD: A joint sitting of Parliament has approved the imposition of Governor’s Rule and an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for two months, ARY News reported.
The joint sitting, chaired by Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, passed both resolutions by a majority vote.
Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry presented the resolutions seeking approval for Governor’s Rule and the imposition of an emergency in the province.
Opposition members protested and chanted slogans in the house during the approval of the resolutions.
Earlier, the National Assembly and Senate had also endorsed Governor’s Rule and the imposition of an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during their respective sessions a day earlier.
Following the passage of both resolutions, the joint sitting of Parliament was adjourned sine die.
Earlier, Adviser to the Prime Minister Rana Sanaullah said that extending the emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa until 2029 would not be too costly a step if it helps restore peace and protect the public.
Speaking on ARY News programme Khabar, Rana Sanaullah said the emergency could remain in place for at least one year and might continue until 2029. He urged people to pray that the necessary measures for peace could be completed by then, saying it would be a blessing for the public.
He said the measures were aimed at eliminating terrorists and protecting people. If the federal government’s team succeeded in fulfilling the responsibility assigned to it, that itself would be a major achievement, he added.
Rana Sanaullah said thousands of lives had been sacrificed in the war against terrorism and that the armed forces were making sacrifices on the front line. He expressed confidence that the fight against terrorism would succeed under all circumstances.
He said counterterrorism operations would be carried out on a large scale but stressed that no one would be displaced.
Criticising KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, Rana Sanaullah called him inexperienced and said he did not understand how politics worked. He compared Afridi to former Punjab chief minister Usman Buzdar, saying the party had handed Afridi the party leadership and government in a similar manner.