Right to dissent

Regarding the recent remarks by MP Iqbal Wazir in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly and the demand of PTI members to terminate his membership, I strongly condemn such an undemocratic move. An elected public representative has the constitutional and democratic right to express his criticism of anything or anyone on the floor of the house openly and without fear.

At worst, if some unparliamentary words are used by a member, the speaker can have these words expunged from the record. But he cannot just terminate any member. The danger here is that the ruling party in KP appears to want to dominate the opposition and create a one-party political setup. This must be avoided at all costs.

M Hashim Khan

Mansehra