Politicians trade blame for growing intolerance

NA passes amendment bill Gas Infrastructure Development Cess Act 2015

ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary debate on the growing intolerance in politics and society on Wednesday ironically turned into a bitter and heated argument, resulting in adjourning of the session without completion of the legislative business.

The debate was sparked by Minister for Interior Ahsan Iqbal, who came to the National Assembly after recovering from the bullet injuries he received on May 6. As Ahsan Iqbal stood up to speak, the house welcomed him by thumping the desks.

The interior minister thanked the lawmakers for wishing him good health but started his speech by narrating the moment he was attacked by ‘a maniac’ during a visit to his home constituency.



“I have one bullet in my body and that will probably remain there for the rest of my life to keep reminding me how long it will take to clear the menace of hate and extremism we have sowed,” he said.

The minister said the situation had come to such a pass that a person was ready to act both as a judge, jury and executioner. “Let me remind you that society can’t move forward with such mindset,” he said.

Ahsan said a single person has no right to issue a decree or call someone a Muslim or an infidel. “It is the Constitution and parliament which has that exclusive right,” he stated.

Looking at the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) lawmakers, he said the narrative and culture of hate should end and that after being attacked he wished to receive a bouquet from Shafqat Mahmood or Shireen Mazari rather than someone who later started defending the alleged attacker.

Iqbal was referring to singer Abrarul Haq, who had gone to see the injured minister but later issued a controversial statement. Iqbal also defended his Iqama or residency permit in Saudi Arabia and said it was a non-profit organisation and he was not withdrawing any remuneration.

The PTI’s Shireen Mazari replied to his comment saying she sympathised with the minister but before talking about use of hate speech and foul language, the minister should look at the attitude of his own fellow party member Abid Sher Ali, who, Mazari said, badmouthed her on floor of the house.

“This hypocrisy will harm you as except for Marvi Memon no other lawmaker from the government side condemned those remarks,” Mazari added.

Speaking on the issue, Leader of Opposition Khursheed Shah moralised that there is intolerance in politics and ethics is nowhere to be seen.

“We should not be part of the tug of war on media and mend our ways,” he said referring to recent incidents of a PTI member’s alleged misbehaviour with the minister during a talk show.

Taking forward the discussion on intolerance, the Muttahida Quami Movement’s (MQM) Farooq Sattar demanded that Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah offer a public apology for cursing the people who demand division of Sindh province.

“We can reply in the same tone but we will not.  But this culture of curse is not acceptable,” Sattar said while walking out of the house.



The MQM leader’s speech left the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmakers fuming. Responding to Sattar, Shah accused the MQM of violence in Karachi and targeting its own people. He also defended Sindh CM’s controversial statement and taunted the MQM for ditching its founder Altaf Hussain

The house was adjourned right after the opposition lawmakers started arguing with speaker to comment on a point of order, leaving 12 agenda items unaddressed.

Gas Infrastructure Development Cess Act, 2015

The house, however, passed an important bill to amend the Gas Infrastructure Development Cess Act, 2015. The CNG stations were collecting GIDC in Pakistan from time to time but the same was not being paid to Sui Northern Gas Pipelines for its payment to government on account of various stay orders.

The CNG stations have now agreed to pay approximately half of the payable cess from to January 2012 to May 2015 amounting to Rs12 billion.