PTI rejects ‘biased’ parliamentary panel to probe Gulalai’s harassment allegations

Mazari suggests appointment of independent parliamentary commissioner for credible, neutral inquiry

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday rejected the formation of a ‘biased’ parliamentary panel formed by the National Assembly speaker to look into harassment allegations leveled by MNA Ayesha Gulalai against party leader Imran Khan.

“In PTI’s view, a committee comprising our political opponents has no credibility — and political opponents cannot be accusers, judge and jury,” Shireen Mazari, spokesperson for the PTI chief, told NA speaker Ayaz Sadiq in a letter. “Such a biased committee will become a tool for victimising political opponents in the future also and will set a bad parliamentary precedent.”





Mazari, however, maintained that the party stood by its commitment for a credible and neutral inquiry, suggesting appointment of an independent parliamentary commissioner for standards office in accordance with the tradition of the “mother of all parliaments, the British Parliament”.

“The office of the parliamentary commissioner for standards deals with the application of the code of conduct and related rules that apply to members of the Parliament,” it said. “In the UK the parliamentary commissioner for standards is appointed by a resolution of the House of Commons for a fixed term of 5 years and is an independent officer of the house. Details about this office are attached.”