‘Pakistan Has Become a Banana Republic by Ignoring Court Orders,’ Says PTI MNA Shahid Khattak
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Member of the National Assembly Shahid Ahmed Khattak has strongly criticized the government and administration, alleging that ignoring court decisions has pushed Pakistan toward becoming a “banana republic.”
Speaking during a heated session of the National Assembly, Shahid Ahmed said a country where Supreme Court and other judicial orders were not respected effectively became a state governed by the law of the jungle.
He said three Supreme Court judges had clearly ordered that PTI founder Imran Khan should receive medical treatment at Shifa International Hospital. According to him, PTI welcomed the decision and avoided creating any political spectacle.
However, he alleged that Imran Khan was taken to PIMS instead of Shifa International Hospital during the night and was returned to Adiala Jail after what he described as only an hour-long “drama.” He termed the incident an open contempt of the Supreme Court and the entire judiciary.
Shahid Ahmed criticized the government over what he described as unequal treatment of political leaders. He said that when Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz, Shehbaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari required medical treatment, special facilities were arranged for them and they were allowed to receive treatment at private hospitals and even abroad.
He alleged that Imran Khan, whom he described as the most popular leader of the country’s largest political party and a leader supported by millions of Pakistanis, was being deprived of his basic right to medical treatment.
The PTI lawmaker appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan and Supreme Court judges to ensure implementation of their decisions.
He warned that if powerful elites continued to disregard judicial orders and the courts failed to enforce their rulings, public patience would run out and unrest could erupt in the country.
In an emotional part of his speech, Shahid Ahmed said that if the matter were merely a political contest, PTI supporters would be able to defeat the rulers through public strength, claiming that the nation stood with Imran Khan.
At the conclusion of his speech, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq made a light-hearted remark about Shahid Ahmed’s use of the phrase “chew them raw,” joking that he was unsure whether the phrase should be removed from the parliamentary record because “eating raw is forbidden anyway.”
