Off the wire
• Chinese Super League soccer results  • IS blows up historic church in Syria's Hasaka province  • Chen Long beat Lin Dan as China wins 3 titles in Malaysia Open  • Chinese vice premier meets Thai princess  • PSV extend lead on Ajax to ten points  • 2nd LD: One Kenya university attacker identified as son of local official  • Taiwan investigates civilian visit to Apache chopper  • Update: Thousands flee in panic from ferocious IS attack near Damascus  • Jordan reports fresh 5 fatalities from swine flu  • Zenit extend Russian Premier League lead following top-of-table clash  
You are here: 　 Home

Opposition lawmakers in Pakistan end seven-month parliament boycott

Xinhua, April 5, 2015 Adjust font size:

An influential opposition party in Pakistan on Sunday announced it is ending a seven-month of boycott of the parliament and will attend a special session convened to discuss the crisis in the Middle East.

The former cricket icon, Imran Khan, who leads Pakistan Tehrik- e-Insaf or Justice Movement, said he and the party's members will attend the joint session of the parliament on Monday.

PTI lawmakers stayed away from the National Assembly since August last year as part of its protest against what it claimed rigging in the 2013 parliamentary elections.

The gov't accepted the opposition party's demand to establish a judicial commission to probe the alleged rigging that led to the end of the parliament boycott. The commission to be comprised of Supreme Court's judges will complete investigation within 45 days since its formation likely in few days.

"We had started a long-march from Lahore (the capital city of Punjab province) to demand a probe into the election. That demand when met, you will see us going back to assemblies," Imran Khan told reporters in Islamabad after he presided over a meeting of the party leaders who decided to return to the parliament.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has decided to hold a special session of the parliament to discuss the Saudi-Yemen conflict amid speculation that Pakistan is likely to send troops to Saudi Arabia.

Defense Minister Khwaja Asif, said the parliament will decide about the Pakistan's possible role in the Middle East crisis.

"The Yemen issue is an important issue for Pakistan and the Muslim world. On this issue we will attend joint session and I will join too," the PTI chief said.

He opposed Pakistan's joining in the conflict and said Pakistan "took part in Americas war on terror and have lost billions; we took part in the Afghan conflict in the 80s and sectarianism grew. "

"Also the issue of Yemen is important for Pakistan. We strongly oppose our forces participation in the civil war and will say so in joint session," Khan went on to say.

The PTI decision to end boycott will end a political tension in Pakistan and will also strengthen the opposition's role in the parliament.

Former President Asif Ali Zaradri, who is the co-chairman of the main opposition Pakistan Peoples Party, had also urged Imran Khan on Saturday to return to the parliament and work for electoral reforms to stop possibility of rigging in elections in the future. Endi