ISLAMABAD: The newly elected 329 members of Pakistan’s National Assembly on Monday took oath of their office, vowing to work for betterment of people and strengthening of democracy in the country.
The swearing-in marked the second consecutive democratic transition of power in the country’s history. Visitors’ galleries of the lower house of parliament were packed to capacity to witness the historic moment.
The maiden session of the assembly began in the morning with the members-elect standing up for the national anthem and recitation of the Holy Qur’an. This was followed by the swearing-in of the members.
Outgoing National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq administered the oath to the lawmakers-elect in the 342-member house. He then asked all the legislators to proceed to the speaker’s desk to sign the roll of members in alphabetical order.
Pakistan People's Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari was the first to sign the roll amid chants by the party workers sitting in the visitors’ galleries.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and Prime Minister in-waiting Imran Khan also took the oath. PTI workers sitting in the assembly’s visitors’ galleries chanted: “Prime Minister, Imran Khan,” when he signed the roll. The PTI has emerged as the
single largest party in the July 25 polls with 158 seats -- but it is still short of 14 members in the house to prove its simple majority.
PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who entered the National Assembly for his maiden term, was conspicuous among all other members. When he came in the house, Imran got up from his seat and shook hands with him, and posed for a photo
in the assembly.
Other prominent members who took the oath included Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz president Shehbaz Sharif, ex-premiers Raja Pervez Ashraf and Mian Muhammad Soomro, former Speakers Fakhar Imam and Fehmida Mirza.
Besides Asif Zardari and his son Bilawal Bhutto, other father and sons due elected to the assembly include Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his son Zain Qureshi, Pervaiz Malik and his son Ali Pervaiz Malik.
Former chief ministers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ameer Haider Khan Hoti and Pervaiz Khattak and Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif also made it to the National Assembly this time and took the oath.
Before adjourning the session, the outgoing Speaker Ayaz Sadiq read out procedure for election of speaker and deputy speaker, for which the candidates can submit their nomination papers by Tuesday noon.
The PTI has nominated Asad Qaiser for the coveted slot of Speaker National Assembly, and it has yet to announce a candidate for deputy speaker.
The 11-parties opposition alliance in the assembly has already nominated PPP’s leader Khursheed Shah for the position of speaker, and Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman’s son Asad-ur-Rehman for the post of deputy speaker.
Elections for the post of speaker and deputy speaker will take place on Wednesday. As per rules of business, the speaker is considered custodian of the house. He is also responsible for maintaining decorum and order during the session.
Speaking to media after the swearing-in ceremony, PTI’s central information Secretary Fawad Chaudhry lauded the “positive role” of the opposition members in the lower house of parliament.
“The opposition has played a responsible role (in the assembly),” he said. “The opposition should play an active role to run the proceedings of the house smoothly.”
To a question, he said that his party would try its best to come up to the people's expectations through good governance. “We are in touch with all parliamentary parties and ready to take them on board before making any decision for the welfare of the
people,” he added.
Members from the opposition parties said the incoming government of the PTI will have to deliver on its election promises and they would support it on all positive issues.
“We wish the PTI to fulfill its promises of good governance and improve the education and health sectors through investment on human development,” said Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, spokesman to Bilawal Bhutto, while talking to media persons
outside the Parliament House.
PML-N lawmaker Ahsan Iqbal said the PTI leadership has created high hopes among the masses in the past five years and now is the time that it should come up to people's expectations. “We will keep pressure on the government through peaceful
protest and press it to fulfill its promises of structural reforms in all state-run institutions,” he added.
To avoid any untoward incident, strict security measures were taken during the session. Heavy contingents of police and Rangers were deployed outside the Parliament House while entry of irrelevant persons on the premises was banned.
The National Assembly session will resume on Aug. 15 to elect the speaker and deputy speaker of the House.
Newly elected lawmakers take oath in maiden session of Pakistan’s National Assembly
Newly elected lawmakers take oath in maiden session of Pakistan’s National Assembly
Philippine president to make first visit to UAE
- Marcos’ trip marks ‘significant and symbolic milestone,’ Manila envoy says
- Philippines, UAE to sign new agreements on energy transition, artificial intelligence
Manila: Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is set to meet his Emirati counterpart, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday as he makes his inaugural trip to the Gulf nation.
The Philippines and UAE are celebrating 50 years of diplomatic relations this year, with the two countries eyeing closer cooperation across many fields to mark the occasion, including in energy transition and artificial intelligence.
The working visit will be Marcos’s first to the UAE since he took office in 2022.
“The president will personally oversee the overall state of bilateral relations between the Philippines and the UAE, and witness the signing of several agreements across a wide array of areas of cooperation, such as energy transition, artificial Intelligence, judicial agreements and culture,” Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Alfonso A. Ver told Arab News on Monday.
The one-day trip marks a “significant and symbolic milestone” in bilateral ties, he added.
“Bilateral relations between the two countries have reached a historic high, and have since expanded to new and innovative forms of cooperation,” Ver said, citing collaborations in space science, agriculture and digital infrastructure as examples.
“With President Marcos’s visit, the Philippines is keen to further boost the positive, robust, and comprehensive state and trajectory of our relationship with the UAE.”
The two countries are currently negotiating a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which has made “significant progress” as of early October, according to the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry.
Around one million Philippine nationals reside in the UAE, making it the second-largest employer of Filipino expats after Saudi Arabia.
“The president will also convey the gratitude of the Philippine government to the leaders of a nation that has tapped Filipino talent, allowing it to flourish in an environment that fosters kindness, respect, and tolerance,” the Presidential Communications Office said in a statement.
“It is expected that these productive dialogues will lead to agreements that will deepen the ties between the two countries … While the President’s visit will be short, the goodwill and opportunities it will create will be substantial, resulting in stronger Philippine-UAE relations.”
UK would follow ‘due process’ if Netanyahu were to visit, says foreign minister
- The ICC issued the warrants on Thursday against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
FIUGGI: Britain would follow due process if Benjamin Netanyahu visited the UK, foreign minister David Lammy said on Monday, when asked if London would fulfil the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against the Israeli prime minister.
“We are signatories to the Rome Statute, we have always been committed to our obligations under international law and international humanitarian law,” Lammy told reporters at a G7 meeting in Italy.
“Of course, if there were to be such a visit to the UK, there would be a court process and due process would be followed in relation to those issues.”
The ICC issued the warrants on Thursday against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Ibrahim Al-Masri for alleged crimes against humanity.
Several EU states have said they will meet their commitments under the statute if needed, but Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has invited Netanyahu to visit his country, assuring him he would face no risks if he did so.
“The states that signed the Rome convention must implement the court’s decision. It’s not optional,” Josep Borrell, the EU’s top diplomat, said during a visit to Cyprus for a workshop of Israeli and Palestinian peace activists.
Those same obligations were also binding on countries aspiring to join the EU, he said.
At least eight migrants drown off Greek island of Samos
- Greek coast guard finds bodies of six minors, two women
- So far 39 people rescued, search and rescue operation continues
Greece’s coast guard has found the bodies of eight migrants — six minors and two women — who drowned off the island of Samos in the Aegean Sea, authorities said on Monday.
Greek police found a further 36 people alive in the northern part of Samos, while three people, trapped in a rocky area on the island, were rescued by coast guard officers, the coast guard said.
Aircraft and vessels assisted a search and rescue operation, it added.
According to a coast guard official, authorities were alerted to the incident by a non-governmental organization and estimate that about 50 people were on board the vessel that brought them off Samos.
Greece, in the southeast corner of the European Union, has long been a favored gateway to Europe for migrants and refugees from the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
More than one million crossed from Turkiye to Greece’s outlying eastern islands in 2015-2016. Many have drowned while attempting the perilous journey on flimsy boats.
The number of arrivals later dropped before surging again last year.
So far this year, about 54,000 migrants have reached Greece, the second largest number in southern Europe behind Italy. The vast majority of them arrived by sea, according to data from the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR.
Le Pen threatens to topple French government over budget
- The opposition on all sides of the spectrum have denounced the budget
- Marine Le Pen downplayed the consequences of the budget being rejected
PARIS: French far-right figurehead Marine Le Pen on Monday threatened to back a no confidence motion that could topple the government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier in a standoff over the budget, saying after talks both sides were entrenched in their positions.
Months of political tensions since right-winger Barnier became prime minister at the helm of a minority government appointed by President Emmanuel Macron in the wake of this summer’s elections are coming to a head over the budget which has yet to be approved by parliament.
The opposition on all sides of the spectrum have denounced the budget, prompting Barnier to consider brandishing the weapon of article 49.3 of the constitution which allows a government to force through legislation without a vote in parliament.
However, that could prompt Le Pen’s far right National Rally (RN) to team up in an unholy alliance with the left-wing bloc in parliament and find enough numbers to topple the government in a confidence vote.
Le Pen entered the Matignon residence of the French premier for the breakfast meeting and was to be followed later in the afternoon by hard left France Unbowed (LFI) parliamentary party leader Mathilde Panot as Barnier seeks to hear voices across the board.
“My position has not changed. No more, it seems, than that (the position) of the prime minister has changed,” Le Pen after meeting Barnier, describing him as “at the same time courteous but also entrenched in his positions.”
Asked if the RN would back a no confidence motion, she replied: “Of course.”
Le Pen downplayed the consequences of the budget being rejected, saying she did not believe “in this notion that ‘if this budget is rejected, if there is a no confidence motion, it will be dramatic, there will be chaos, etc’.”
Further complicating the situation is the constitutional rule in France that there must be a one year gap between legislative elections, meaning that Macron cannot call polls until the summer to resolve the crisis.
“Michel Barnier is creating the conditions for a vote of no confidence,” RN deputy leader Sebastien Chenu said on Sunday.
But he insisted that the move would not paralyze France and that Macron still had options, including resigning before his term ends in 2027, something the president has previously ruled out.
“The president has several options... reappoint the same prime minister, appoint a new prime minister, resign if he has no other solution, or call a referendum,” he added.
Government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon had warned in an interview published in the Le Parisien daily that France risked a “Greek-style situation” if the government was brought down, referring to Greece’s 2007-2008 financial crisis.
The issue comes at a critical time for three-time presidential candidate Le Pen, who fancies having her best ever crack at the Elysee in polls due in 2027.
Le Pen, 56, and other RN defendants are currently on trial accused of creating fake jobs at the EU parliament which they deny.
If convicted, she could receive a jail sentence and a ban from public office which would disqualify her from the presidential polls.
Her young lieutenant Jordan Bardella, 29, who is the RN party chief, is not among the accused and is seen by some as harboring his own presidential positions.
Baredella, who has just published his first book “Ce que je cherche” (“What I am Looking For”), told French television last week that “not having a criminal record is, for me, rule number one when you want to be an MP.”
While opponents dubbed him “Brutus” after the Roman politician who assassinated ex-ally Julius Ceasar, Le Pen denied any tensions with her protege, saying they had a “relationship of trust.”
Children killed in Mozambique election violence: HRW
- The southern African nation has been rocked by unrest since an October 9 vote won by the ruling Frelimo party
- Thousands of people have demonstrated across the country in recent weeks in protests brutally suppressed by the police
JOHANNESBURG: Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Monday that Mozambican security forces killed at least 10 children and injured dozens more in post-election violence.
The southern African nation has been rocked by unrest since an October 9 vote won by the ruling Frelimo party in power since independence but contested by the opposition.
Thousands of people have demonstrated across the country in recent weeks in protests brutally suppressed by the police.
One 13-year-old girl was “caught in a crowd of people fleeing tear gas and gunfire... One of the bullets hit her in the neck, and she instantly fell to the ground and died,” HRW said in a statement.
The rights group said it had documented “nine additional cases of children killed and at least 36 other children injured by gunfire during the protests.”
The authorities have not responded to HRW’s claims.
Police have also detained “hundreds of children, in many cases for days, without notifying their families, in violation of international human rights law,” HRW said.
President Filipe Nyusi, who is due to step down in January, condemned an “attempt to install chaos in our country” in a state of the nation address last week.
He said that 19 people had been killed in the recent clashes, five of them from the police force. More than 800 people were injured, including 66 police, he added.
Civil society groups recorded a higher death toll — with more than 67 people killed since the unrest began — and said that an estimated 2,000 others had been detained.
Nyusi, 65, has invited the main opposition leader, Venancio Mondlane, for talks.
Mondlane, who came in second after Frelimo’s Daniel Chapo, 47, but claims to have won, has been organizing most of the protests.
He said he would accept the president’s offer as long as the talks were held virtually and legal proceedings against him were dropped.
The 50-year-old is believed to have left the country for fear of arrest or attack but his whereabouts are unknown.
