Opposition uproar in NA as Reham Khan's 'helicopter use' becomes topic of discussion

Opposition stages walkout over PML-N MNA Talal Chaudhry's comments

ISLAMABAD: Opposition staged a walk out from the National Assembly session on Thursday as Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MNA took a jab at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan’s wife, Reham Khan.

“Reham Khan uses helicopters like an auto rickshaw,” PML-N MNA Talal Chaudhry said on the floor of the assembly, instantly causing an uproar in Parliament.

As PTI started walking out, Pakhtunkhawa Mili Awami Party chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai urged members to not take up issues of family on the floor of the House.

Further irking PTI leaders, Chaudhry asked NA speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq to leave the chair if he thought he is ‘party in the NA-122 issue.’ On this, Sadiq left the chair with Deputy Speaker Murtaza Abbasi presiding over the session.

Read: NA-122 hearing: ‘Ballot counts by ROs, commission vary’

Regarding reports that the Pakistan Peoples Party wants to bring party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in Parliament in place of Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah, Chaudhry said, "PML-N will welcome PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto in Parliament."

"But we will feel sorry for Khursheed Shah," he added.

While the Jamaat-e-Islami, PTI and PPP staged a walkout over the PML-N MNAs remarks, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) also staged a walk-out to protest Defence Minister Khawaja Asif's statements.

Read: Taking offence: Altaf says he wants to step down as MQM chief

Earlier, the defence minister had said that Muhajirs were only those who had migrated from places such as Jalandhar and Ludhiyana, while the rest were ‘fake Muhajirs’.

PML-N MNA warns of bloody revolution

PML-N MNA Dr Iftikhar Cheema warned the government of a ‘bloody revolution’  if farmers were being neglected in the fiscal budget for this year.

"We are heading towards a bloody revolution by ignoring farmers -- the corner stone of our economy,” the PML-N lawmaker upheld.

Further, Cheema urged the government to sign an agreement for exporting rice with Iran.

Meanwhile, PML-N MNA Shakir Bashir Awan lauded senators for their fruitful recommendations particularly for improving the agricultural system.

“I request the government to waive off loans of farmers facing environmental crisis in Punjab,” he added.

While most PML-N MNAs were all praise for the budget, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf MNA Imran Khattak criticised the government as most of the targets set in last fiscal year could not be achieved.

“The mass transit system has failed,” Khattak observed, without giving any suggestions to the government for improvement.

Rising political temperatures

In an apparent hit at the ruling PML-N, Pakistan People’s Party MNA Nafisa Shah said “lions [of PML-N] were in caves of the west.”

“The lions were once again all set for caves and container revolution seemed inevitable, it was the PPP that stood by the government just for the sake of democracy,” Shah asserted.

‘Budget irrelevant for non-Muslims’

Further, an MNA on a minority seat said the budget for this fiscal year is irrelevant for non-Muslims.

"Even Zero package was not introduced for non-Muslims in Pakistan," MQM MNA Sanjay Perwani said.

"We have been omitted from this budget," he added.