Faisal Vawda says PML-N 'lying down to kiss the boot'

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda said the PML-N was "lying down to kiss the boot", mocking the party for rendering its "unconditional support" for the services chief's tenure bills. 

Vawda made the comments while appearing on a private news channel's talkshow. PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira and the PML-N's Javed Abbasi were also on the guest panel with Vawda. 

The federal minister startled all on the show by taking out a boot and placing it on top of the table.

"I am going to bring this [boot] to every talk show," he said. "This is how democratic the PML-N is. They lie down to kiss the boot," he added.

Vawda was mocking the PML-N slogan "Vote Ko Izzat Do" by saying "Boot Ko Izzat Do", criticising the party for deviating from its stance and lending unconditional support for the services chief's tenure bills.

When asked why he was criticising the PML-N for supporting the PTI government on the Army Act bill, Vawda said: "It was our stance. We were doing it for the Pakistani nation and we stood firm [on our stance]."

"You should have respected them from day one like we did. You talk against them, spew your hatred against them, you talk even when they lay down their lives as martyrs. Is there any shame? Any respect?"

All three bills were passed in the National Assembly and the Senate last week, with the PPP also supporting the government in getting both houses of parliament to approve the constitutional amendments.

Vawda said the nation had seen the true face of the PML-N leadership. He said the party had decided that it was ready to even "lie down and kiss the boot" when it came to saving their own corruption.

Referring to the boot, the federal minister said "it wasn't possible that it [the boot] has been shined by human hands".

"It cannot be shined by human hands. The limit to which they have stooped, it looks like the boot has been shined by their [the PML-N leadership] tongues," he added. 

PPP's Kaira objected to Vawda's language and said the federal minister had gone too far. He lamented how the PTI leader had dragged the armed forces into a controversy by alleging that they had pressurised the PML-N into supporting the bill.

Both the PML-N and the PPP leaders left the talkshow in protest against Vawda's language.