Khawaja Asif demands to exhume and hang Ayub Khan’s body for imposing martial law in Pakistan

In a fiery exchange in the National Assembly, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif responded to points raised by NA Opposition Leader Omar Ayub by suggesting that the body of Field Marshal Ayub Khan, who enforced the country's first martial law, should be exhumed and hanged in accordance with Article 6 of the Constitution.

Addressing the assembly, the defense minister highlighted that the previous government led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had initiated Article 6 proceedings against Ayub Khan.

Asif emphasized the need to initiate Article 6 proceedings, asserting that parliamentarians had previously agreed on this matter, but he proposed that it should commence with the former military dictator Ayub Khan.

He stated, "Article 6 proceedings should also be conducted against those who violated the Constitution, dissolved the assembly, and obstructed the passage of the no-confidence motion," alluding to the events surrounding the ousting of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

His remarks elicited uproar from the opposition benches, prompting NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq to call for order.

Earlier, NA Opposition Leader Omar Ayub rebuffed allegations implicating his party in the May 9 riots, contending that the incidents were orchestrated to target PTI founder Imran Khan.