Lawmaker threatens to ‘explode’ assembly

Independent member threatens to "blow up" house after getting upset.

GILGIT: The Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly witnessed its shortest duration on Thursday after Raziuddin Rizvi, an independent member, repeatedly threatened to “blow up” the house.

“I will blow up the assembly [with a bomb] and there will be no one to run it,” charged the legislator who had gotten upset after the opposition leader Bashir Khan congratulated Naseer Khan from Astore on his likely induction in the cabinet.

“We will ensure that the government is forced to dissolve the assembly,” shouted the enraged Raziuddin.

Didar Ali, another independent candidate, supported Raziuddin and asked the Law Minister Shakil Wazir to tell the house about the agreement Pakistan Peoples Party had made with them — to appoint one of them as a minister. The deputy speaker, unable to control the situation, adjourned the session for an indefinite period, barely 30 minutes into the proceedings.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 11^th, 2011.