Khawaja Asif Urges Opposition to Sign Charter of Democracy in NA Speech

First Published 7 hours ago

🔴 Live Update 33 minutes ago14 Updates by 8 sources

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, speaking on the floor of the National Assembly on Wednesday, urged the opposition to examine its own past and sign a Charter of Democracy with the government.

His remarks followed criticism from the opposition a day prior, during which opposition leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai delivered a speech criticising the government, judiciary, and the establishment.

“If you seek equity, you should come up with clean hands,” Asif stated, directing his comments towards the opposition benches. He questioned their conduct during their time in power, asking, “What did not happen in this House during their time in power?”

The defence minister acknowledged that his own party, the PML-N, had also made mistakes in the past. He recalled the political turmoil of the 1990s between the PML-N and the PPP, noting that both parties eventually realised the need for a code of conduct between the government and opposition, as decided by Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif.

Criticising the former PTI government, Asif said that 55 pieces of legislation were passed in half an hour before the assembly was dissolved, which he described as a “cardinal sin” by the former speaker.

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