PTI MPs curse parliament again after being denied floor

NA constitutes committee to review child abuse cases, suggest preventive measures

ISLAMABAD: Following in the footsteps of their party head, some Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers on Friday repeatedly shouted in the National Assembly the same derogatory words Imran Khan had used with regard to parliament in a recent multi-party opposition protest in Lahore.

In his speech on The Mall, the PTI chief had said he cursed the current parliament that “has violated very basic principles of democracy by voting in support of the corrupt Sharifs”.

“You will not find a similar example in any democracy in the world where parliament endorses that a corrupt person can continue to lead a political party,” the PTI chief had said.



Condemning these derogatory remarks, the National Assembly on Thursday passed a resolution against Khan and the Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid.

The PTI lawmakers, who were denied the floor on Thursday, wanted to speak about the resolution on Friday  and repeatedly asked the deputy speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi, who was conducting proceedings, to give them floor. However, the PTI lawmakers were once again denied permission.

At first, the deputy speaker assured the PTI MNAs that they would be allowed to speak but only upon taking up house business for the day. But the PTI’s Murad Saeed, who was apparently in a hurry, threatened Abbasi that he would point out quorum, if not given floor.

Hearing this warning, the deputy speaker thought it better to abruptly adjourn the sitting till Monday without discussing majority of the agenda items. As he announced the adjournment, the PTI MNAs including Saeed, Engineer Hamidul Haq and Shehryar Afridi stood up and started shouting the word ‘laanat’ again and again.

Later, talking to media outside the parliament house, Murad Saeed said one cannot praise a parliament that enacts person-specific laws aimed to give cover to a proven criminal and money launderer.

“I will say the same word even 100 times for this parliament that tried to amend Khatam-e-Nabuwat law secretly and appeared unable to do any legislation to favour the general public,” infuriated Saeed said.



He said the PTI lawmakers were deliberately not allowed to respond to the comments made by other parties’ leaders against Imran Khan using the floor of National Assembly.

House constitutes panel to curb child abuse

Earlier, the issue of increasing child abuse and murders was discussed. Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Sheikh Aftab moved a motion in the house under the relevant rules for the constitution of a special committee to review child abuse cases and suggest legal remedies and preventive measures.

The house adopted the motion and constituted a 10-member committee having representation from all political parties and headed by State Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry.

The special committee has been directed to submit its report within 30 days. The house also discussed a calling attention notice regarding increasing incidents of landmine explosions in South Waziristan.