Bajwa, Faiz Hameed behind FATF legislation: Khawaja Asif

ISLAMABAD: Former defence minister and PML-N leader Khawaja Asif on Wednesday alleged that former army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa and ex-spymaster Faiz Hameed used to get legislation done from them, ARY News reported.

Speaking to journalists at Parliament House, the PML-N MNA-elect emphasised the importance of maintaining harmony with institutions and stressed the need for constructive dialogue to address the country’s challenges.

Khawaja Asif pointed out that all stakeholders, not only politician, must work together for political stability. He urged the power structure to collaboratively address issues, mentioning past cooperation in legislation between military figures and political leaders.

The PML-N leader noted that Qamar Bajwa and Faiz Hameed were behind the legislation regarding Financial Action Task Force (FATF). “During that period, we used to go to their messes for legislation,” he added.

“We are suffering from the damages that occurred at that time,” he said, underscoring the collective responsibility of all stakeholders to prioritise the nation’s interests and find solutions for its betterment.

In response to a question regarding President Dr Arif Alvi’s reluctance to summon National Assembly (NA) session, Khawaja Asif said that he should be tried under Article 6.

“It is on these two occasions that the constitution has been violated. The president is not agreeing with the institution,” he said, noting that there was no need to disagree with the institutions.

National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf had summoned the maiden sitting of lower house of Parliament on Feb 29 as President Arif Alvi refused to summon the session on account of an ‘incomplete house’.

In response to a summary by the Parliamentary Affairs Division last week, the president said the lower house was not complete, so he could not summon the session as requested.

Sources claimed that President Alvi wanted to delay the session till the issuance of a notification by the Election Commission of Pakistan regarding the reserved seats of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), which was joined by PTI-backed lawmakers.

The Speaker would administer the oath to the newly elected members of the National Assembly. The schedule for speaker and deputy speaker elections will also be issued in the inaugural session.

Under the Constitution, the first session of the National Assembly is required to be convened within 21 days after the general elections held on Feb 8. Section 91(2) of the Constitution says: “The National Assembly shall meet on the twenty-first day following the day on which a general election to the assembly is held, unless sooner summoned by the president.”

According to a senior official of the National Assembly Secretariat, the president is duty-bound to call the session of the NA within 21 days; otherwise, the secretariat itself could announce the session. He said the secretariat had made all necessary arrangements for the new assembly’s first session.