ISLAMABAD: After disruption from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members in National Assembly on Wednesday, the session resumed on Tuesday after a delay of two hours.
Addressing Speaker Ayaz Sadiq as Ayaz sahib, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that his party was representing eight million people in the Parliament but was not given a chance to present its point of view.
Qureshi said he was forced to address the Speaker as Ayaz sahib because he was seeing a PML-N MNA on the seat, not the Speaker of National Assembly.
The PTI leader was disrupted several times from the government benches during his speech. However, Sadiq asked him to continue.
Qureshi grilled Federal Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique for calling PTI members as ‘hooligans’ and demanded an apology from the minister.
Speaker Sadiq said that he will get the word ‘hooligan’ expunged from yesterday’s proceeding if it was used.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi demanded Prime Minister (PM), Nawaz Sharif to explain to the National Assembly (NA) the contradictory stances over Panama Leaks.
Qureshi addressed a session of the House today which was presided over by Speaker Ayaz Sadiq.
He alleged Speaker of NA of being partial and went on to address him as Mr Ayaz Sadiq all through his speech. The development prompted benches of the government to protest however, the Speaker said that the matter involved him and Shah Mehmood Qureshi and barred the members from protesting.
Qureshi said that he respected NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq but the government should consider demands of the opposition. Members of the opposition did not get to see patience from the government’s side on Wednesday in the House, PTI s representative said.
He said that protest on Wednesday could have been avoided if the Speaker of the National Assembly had listened to what members of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf had to say.
Qureshi complained that Minister for Railways, Khawaja Saad Rafique termed members of PTI goons during the last session however, the accusation was immediately responded to by the Speaker when he said that he would direct to expunge any such word if there was one.
Shah Mehmood demanded the railways minister to apologise and that he was the elected representative of around 8 million voters.
Talking about Panama Leaks, Qureshi asserted that the reply filed by premier’s legal team in Supreme Court (SC) and his statement on the floor of the House had contradictions.
He alleged Ayaz Sadiq of giving a ruling over PTI’s privilege motion behind closed doors and claimed that two members of the ruling party met with the Speaker before he gave out the decision. Qureshi complained that PTI was not given an opportunity to put forth its stance before the ruling.
Qureshi rejected Saad Rafique’s statement over PTI’s alleged support of a dictator in the past.
Owing to the yesterday’s ruckus inside the National Assembly, the government contacted Khurshid Shah and asked for his help in running the session smoothly.
Leader of the Opposition Syed Kurshid Shah reached the Speaker’s chamber in order to discuss and settle the issues between PTI and the government.
Speaker of the National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq and Leader of the Opposition Khurshid Shah held talks as the speaker also summoned the government ministers at the occasion.
Federal Railway Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique on Thursday defended Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s response submitted in the Supreme Court on the issue of Panama Leaks.
“Prime Minister Sharif did not issue any false statement in the Parliament regarding Panama leaks. The statement given in the house was short while the one submitted in the apex court was elaborate,” Rafique told the lower house.
Rafique said that the government knew from day one that the Panama issue would go to the Supreme Court as there was a talk about the establishment of a commission. He said that there were clear instructions from Nawaz Sharif not to create any hurdle in the Panama case.
He said that PTI Chairman Imran Khan, MNA Jahangir Khan Tarin and Aleem Khan too had offshore companies. “We don’t want to go to the next elections with the Panama issue,” he said.
“We cannot allow the opposition members to turn the house into the Supreme Court,” he said.
The federal railway minister also tendered an apology for calling PTI MNAs as goons in his media address yesterday.
“I withdraw my remarks which were uttered in response to PTI members shouting derogatory slogans against Prime Minister Sharif,” he said.
He urged the opposition to wait for the Supreme Court’s decision on the issue.
