Islamabad: Minister of Defense Khawaja Asif has stated that he supports the demands of the opposition leader under Article 6 and believes that even Ayub Khan should be removed from his grave and tried under Article 6, with the punishment being hanging.
During the National Assembly session, Minister of Defense Khawaja Asif stated that opposition leader Omar Ayub mentioned Article 6, and the PTI cabinet decided to impose Article 6 against me.
He said, “I support the imposition of Article 6 on those who violate the constitution. Ayub Khan should be removed from his grave and Article 6 should be applied, with the initiation starting from a fake field marshal.” Khawaja Asif said, “During the vote of no confidence, the constitution was violated and then Article 6 should be applied.”
The Defense Minister said, “The first violation of the oath was done by Ayub Khan, who overturned the democratic government and sowed discord and chaos, so today Article 6 should be imposed and the body should be removed from the grave and hanged.”
Khawaja Asif said, “From 1958 to 2022, all cases must have Article 6 applied.” Opposition strongly protested against Khawaja Asif’s remarks.
Speaker of the Assembly commented on the protest by opposition members, stating that they should listen quietly to the speech of the opposition leader, as government members remained silent during the speech of the opposition leader. He mentioned that Aamir Dogar was appointed as the business advisor to ensure that the session proceeded smoothly.
Iyaz Sadique warned that if the protest continued, he would adjourn the session for two days and then end the debate on the presidential address by running the house for one day. He also stated that he would not give the microphone to make a point of order and only Khawaja Asif would have the microphone.
The Speaker responded to the threat from opposition members, saying that the House would continue to function in the same manner and he would show them how to run it. He emphasized that the opposition leader had been given a chance to speak and now it was Khawaja Asif’s turn, with members speaking in an orderly manner to maintain the decorum of the assembly.
Iyaz Sadique stated, “How can Omar Ayub not run this House? I will show you how to run it. I will not allow anyone to tarnish the reputation of any institution, including the Supreme Court, the Pakistan Army, or any other organization. If you think I will succumb to pressure, that will not happen, and I will not give in to the threats and strong-arming of the opposition.”
The Speaker directed that during the proceedings of the House, any inappropriate language used by the opposition leader regarding institutions should be removed.
During this time, there was a bitter exchange of words between Khawaja Asif and opposition members, which was eventually diffused by Ali Mohammad Khan and Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry.