Kerfuffle in Senate over Imran’s remarks

Govt members say PTI chief’s statement is ‘dangerous’; opposition defends him

ISLAMABAD:

The Senate session on Thursday was marred by a chaotic exchange of verbal spat between members of the treasury and opposition benches over PTI chairman and former premier Imran Khan’s remarks during a TV interview a day earlier wherein he had warned that if the establishment did not make the right decision, then the country would “break into three parts”.

The PTI chief had added that the army would be “destroyed” if Pakistan went “bankrupt”, resulting in the country “losing its nuclear assets”.

The treasury members kept shouting “crazy” referring to ex-PM Imran, while the opposition senators resorted to making equal noise.

Speaking during the proceedings chaired by Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, Leader of the House Azam Nazeer Tarar maintained that the former premier’s remarks had caused unrest in the country.

Tarar added that we all exist because of Pakistan. “These words can’t come out of the mouth of a person who has held the biggest office of the country unless there is a conspiracy.”

The senator said this was a matter of the country’s integrity and Imran’s statement was dangerous.
“Imran Khan has lost his mental balance after being ousted from power. Pakistan comes first and then politics. A change of government doesn’t affect the State.”

PML-N Senator Dr Asif Kirmani said he belonged to the field of medicine so he could diagnose Imran as having bipolar disorder.

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“Such patients are treated with electric shocks,” he added.

PPP Senator Yousuf Raza Gilani said he had never heard any leader of the country speak against the country in this manner.

He added that former military ruler Ayub Khan had disqualified all leaders with a single stroke of pen but not a single one of them spoke against the country.

He claimed that after when PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged, he had suggested to the president during his tenure in power to send a reference to the Supreme Court from the cabinet that this sentence should be declared a judicial murder. “This matter has not been decided yet but we did not say anything.”

He further pointed out that slain PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto used to meet her husband in jail along with her children but never said anything against the judiciary and the security establishment.

Gilani demanded that the PTI chairman should retract his statement as such words being uttered by a chairman of a political party and former prime minister was “dangerous”.

Opposition Leader in Senate Dr Waseem Shahzad defended his party chief’s remarks, claiming that they were “distorted”.

“The majority was turned into minority in parliament and we have to move beyond the politics of the past,” he added.

“For Pakistan's security and strength, the army must be strong. Imran Khan had merely pointed out these threats.”

Shahzad further said the strength of the institutions depends on the country's economy.

“That was why ex-PM Imran was talking about [the conspiracy to have] friendly ties with Israel, which have raised concerns.”

Defending the PTI chief’s statement, Senator Faisal Javed said ex-PM Imran had always spoken of uniting the country and did not hold the sit-in [in Islamabad] to save the country from anarchy.

PML-N’s Irfan Siddiqui claimed that a former premier was dragged out, handcuffed and shoved into a van with tinted windows.

“For three months, his whereabouts were unknown, but he did not say that the country would break up or the army would be destroyed.”

PPP Senator Bahramand Tangi maintained that the remarks of a “selected” former prime minister had exposed that he was a "traitor" to the country.

During the sitting, PTI Senator Mohsin Aziz pointed out the quorum on which the Senate session was adjourned till Friday (today).