• "Is democracy here for sale?" Omar Ayub questions amid NA debate.
• Govt using "all kinds of pressure" for amendments' approval, says Saif.
• House began debate before draft of constitutional amendments tabled.
  

ISLAMABAD: Omar Ayub Khan, leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader, has claimed that lawmakers from the Opposition are being offered up to Rs1 billion by the government to shift loyalties as it seeks to get constitutional amendments approved from the Parliament House.

"Isn’t this a matter of shame? Is democracy here for sale?" the opposition leader questioned during a debate on the proposed amendments in the National Assembly.

The NA, on Thursday, kicked off a debate on the proposed constitutional amendments on a motion moved by PPP lawmaker Naveed Qamar. Interestingly, the House has started the debate even before the draft was tabled.

"It is better to open the floor for a debate so that proposals be made part of the consensus document," Naveed said, adding that it would be the right approach for good. It was decided at a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee to initiate discussion on judicial reforms.

Meanwhile, the members of the Imran Khan-founded party have accused the Shehbaz Sharif-led government of using coercive tactics to vote in its favour, backing the 26th Constitutional Amendment before it is likely to be tabled in the parliament.

They also accused the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of pressing for the establishment of a constitutional court.

Omar, on the hand, also claimed that the government had not been able to complete the required numbers for the passage of the constitutional amendment.

Alleging that PTI leaders and their families were being harassed to secure their support, he said that last night, the wife of party's leader Zain Qureshi was arrested from her house. Miqdad Ali disappeared while travelling to Islamabad while Riaz Fatyana’s son was also "disappeared" twice.

The family members of PTI parliamentarians including children were tortured and harassed, he said and added that the interior minister should come here and inform whether it was being done by him or some other people.

Omar questioned as to why the government was in a hurry to get the constitutional amendments bill passed as it took nine to 10 months to reach a consensus on the 18th Amendment.

He also opposed a proposal floated by the Awami National Party (ANP) to change the name of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Pakhtunkhwa.

Musa Gillani of the PPP condemned the midnight arrest of Zain Qureshi’s wife.

Ex-speaker Asad Qaisar, taking the floor, said Speaker Ayaz Sadiq also told a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee on Thursday that the wife of Zain was picked and released after two hours.

The PTI parliamentarians demanded that undemocratic acts to change the loyalties of parliamentarians including raids on their houses, arrests of their family members and offering bribes should be stopped.

Agha Rafiullah of the PPP called for the establishment of the constitutional court, saying that the opposition should not press for constitutional benches. "The opposition should not compromise on constitutional amendments."

'Govt using all kinds of pressure to get amendments approved'

Meanwhile, Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, advisor to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister, Friday said that the federal government is using all kinds of pressure in the parliament to get the approval of the proposed constitutional amendments.

In a statement, the advisor said that the rulers are trying to attack the independence of judiciary through the constitutional amendments.

"An independent judiciary can be an effective barrier against cruelty and brutality," he said.

The PTI leader also said that attempts are being made to suppress the party through the amendments.

"The rulers are causing all kinds of damage to the country following malice against the PTI founder," said Saif in a statement.

He urged the lawyers community to play their role in defending the judiciary.

"People's Party, the claimant of democracy, is going against the Bhutto ideology along with the PML-N," he insisted, taking a jibe at the Bilawal-led party's claims of saving democracy.