Opposition walks out to protest ‘dacoit’ analogy

Fawad Chaudhry holds nepotism of PPP, PML-N responsible for institutions’ downfall

ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry was defending his reply to a tweet of the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Nafisa Shah on an issue related to the Radio Pakistan but his choice of words caused such strong reaction from the opposition benches that he had to ultimately apologise.

Minutes after the National Assembly session started on Thursday, Nafisa Shah read out before the house her late-night tweet and Chaudhry’s response to it. Taking strong exception to the information minister’s comment, she requested the NA speaker to refer the matter to the privileges committee.

Fawad Chaudhry stood up to clarify his stance but added insult to injury by blaming the past governments for loot and plunder of the country’s resources.

“The PPP (previous governments) destroyed all institutions including the Radio Pakistan by recruiting their cronies and party workers. In just three days (PPP’s) Khursheed Shah hired 800 people only in Radio Pakistan, placing an Rs7 crore additional burden on the organisation.



“The government is spending Rs5 billion every year only on Radio, thanks to PPP visionless policy. They squandered the public money like dacoits throw (looted money on dancers) during mujras (dance performances),” he said amid thumping of desks by the ruling party members.

This last comment caused a stir on the opposition benches. Many lawmakers started yelling at the minister with a few female MNAs calling him a ‘Lota’, an offensive slang for turncoat. Speaker Asad Qaiser said he was expunging those remarks from the record of the house.

However, Khursheed Shah announced that they would not sit in the house until the minister apologised for the ‘derogatory’ comments he made about the opposition, primarily the PPP and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

“Every member in this house has (self) respect and every word (uttered) in this house is important,” Shah said, adding it was unbecoming of a minister to use such ‘cheap’ language.

Leader of Opposition Shehbaz Sharif also backed Shah and said the minister had every right to comment or criticise but he should use parliamentary language. He also warned that his party would also stage a walkout if Chaudhry did not tender an apology.

In reply to the walkout threat, the minister justified his statement and said he was talking figuratively and using an idiom. The comment led to the walkout by all opposition members.

Later, the speaker requested Ghulam Sarwar Khan of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to talk to the opposition and convince it to return to the house.



However, in the meanwhile, the information minister stood up once again and asked as to what was wrong in calling those who looted this country thieves and robbers.

“I don’t know what is wrong with use of this term,” he said adding they needed Rs5.5 billion for the Radio Pakistan but they had only Rs4 billion and there was an annual loss of Rs1.25 billion.

Referring to the opposition, the minister said they also destroyed the Pakistan international Airlines (PIA) and the Pakistan Steel Mills (PIA) by inducting their cronies and political workers. He said he would urge the Prime Minister Imran Khan to hang such people upside down. However, when the opposition returned to the house, the minister said he was taking back his words: “I apologise for what I said.”

Later, debate on the mini-budget was resumed for the fifth consecutive day where the PML-N’s Ahsan Iqbal reminded Minister for Finance Asad Umar for not putting those words he uttered while in opposition in action. The house was later adjourned to meet again on Friday 10am.