- Ali Muhammad accuses Dawar and Wazir of being tout of Afghanistan’s intelligence agency
ISLAMABAD, May 31: The National Assembly’s session on Friday was adjourned after members of the opposition staged a protest against Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan’s diatribe against MNAs Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir.
Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri announced the adjournment as parliamentarians from both sides came face-to-face on the assembly floor after Khan’s scathing criticism – which included certain unparliamentary terms – of the two Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) leaders.
The state minister, while responding to a question, accused the two MNAs of harbouring anti-Pakistan sentiments and questioned their loyalty to the country.
Khan accused Dawar and Wazir of being “touts” of Afghanistan’s intelligence agency, the National Directorate of Security, and called for their expulsion as members of Pakistan’s Parliament.
His provocative comments drew a sharp response from the opposition
benches as Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders, including Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, stood up to register their protest midway through Khan’s address.
The situation soon escalated as lawmakers from other opposition parties, including Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N), joined the protest and surrounded the speaker’s dais.
Soon after the session was adjourned, members of the opposition convened for a joint media talk outside the assembly.
“All opposition parties are standing together today. What we saw in the assembly a little while ago was anything but a display of democracy; the deputy speaker violated house rules by not letting opposition members speak on these sensitive issues,” said Bilawal.
“A few days ago, you all saw innocent Pakistanis and parliamentarians being targeted on the streets of Islamabad. Our unarmed supporters and MNAs were tortured and arrested. This is the reality of this so-called ‘state of Madina’. This Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government seems bent on bringing back Musharraf’s policies and strongarm tactics through people such as Brigadier (retd) Ijaz Shah.”
The PPP chairman vowed to put up a joint front against the PTI-led government. “I had written to the NA speaker about the production orders of Ali Wazir and Mohsin Dawar. However, we were lied to today and told that no such letter was received. From judges to parliamentarians, this government is targeting everyone through underhand tactics and we will not let this continue,” said Bilawal.-Agencies
