PTI lawmakers trade barbs over strategy for budget passage

Sparring heated over question of mustering a coordinated response to opposition’s attempt to disrupt budget sessions

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers on Thursday ended up trading heated barbs as they sat to discuss Tuesday’s rumpus in the National Assembly and deliberate over future strategy for budget sessions.

The squabble took place between Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari and PTI MNA Ali Nawaz Awan in a joint parliamentary party meeting of PTI and its allied parties held in Parliament House to formulate a strategy for the passage of the federal budget 2021-22.

The two began sparring while discussing Tuesday’s chaos in the National Assembly and criticised each other over the question of mustering a coordinated response to the Opposition’s attempts to disrupt the budget sessions.

"We should have refrained from making a fuss in the National Assembly," Mazari said.

"Should we remain mum and let them abuse and injure our women?" Awan retorted.
Some members of the meeting suggested that a policy of reconciliation should be adopted, instead of an aggressive strategy during the budget session, adding that the government must act responsibly for the sake of budget.

The members pointed out that it was the responsibility of the government to pass the budget “and it should be done with understanding”.

The meeting took on more aggressive tone when bitter words were also exchanged between PTI and members of allied parties during the meeting, sources said.
National Assembly member Aslam Khan alleged that the attitude of allied parties was hypocritical “as they remained silent spectators” as the House descended into chaos.

Retorting Khan’s pointed allegation, MNA Saira Bano asserted that the allied parties should not be held responsible for the turmoil. “If you have any other problem with the allies, then state it openly”.
Sources said that MNA Faheem Khan reportedly could no longer stay seated and stood up, berating the allies for not doing enough during the sessions. “All of you have heard expletives and foul language about our government from the opposition and yet chose to do nothing”. MNA Ali Mohammad Khan said that “we should show patience”.

However, Faheem Khan maintained that “no person with honour and dignity could remain silent at the kind of words the opposition used against us”.

On Tuesday, the House turned into a fish market as the parliamentarians from both the treasury and opposition benches squabbled with each other exchanging profanities and throwing budget copies as missiles during the speech by Shehbaz, the PML-N president.

National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser on Wednesday barred seven lawmakers from both sides of the aisle for creating ruckus and behaving in an “unparliamentary” and “inappropriate manner”.