Ayub Khan’s body should be exhumed and hanged: Khawaja Asif

ISLAMABAD: Responding to the NA Opposition Leader Omar Ayub’s points, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said that the body of Field Marshall Ayub Khan, who instituted the first martial law in the country, should also be exhumed and hanged as per Article 6 of the Constitution, ARY News reported on Monday.

Speaking on the National Assembly floor, the defence minister pointed out that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led previous government decided Article 6 proceedings against him.

Khawaja Asif said that Article 6 proceedings should begin, adding that the Parliament’s members agreed to this as well but it should start with the former military dictator Ayub Khan.

“Article 6 proceedings should be also held against those who violated the Constitution, dissolved the assembly and do not let pass the no-confidence motion,” he said, referring to the day former premier Imran Khan was ousted.

His remarks prompted uproar from the opposition benches even as the NA speaker Ayaz Sadiq called for calm.

Earlier, NA Opposition Leader Omar Ayub rejected allegations that his party was involved in the May 9 riots, claiming that the events were staged to target PTI founder Imran Khan.

Ayub – who is also PTI’s Secretary General – reiterated the party’s demanded of constitution of judicial commission to probe the May 9 events, wherein military installations came under attack following arrest of deposed prime minister Imran Khan.

He pointed out that the country suffered immense damages following the assassination of former prime minister Benzair Bhutto in 2007. “The violence that broke out in the country following Benazir’s assassination resulted in $2 billion in losses,” he added.

Ayub further said that scores of trains, locomotives, and railway stations were also damaged in the violent protests. “Karachi alone suffered damages worth Rs80 to Rs90 billion in three to four days,” he added.