PTA chairman accuses Aimal of smoking hashish, apologises amid uproar

ISLAMABAD: A heated exchange took place on Wednesday during a meeting of the Senate Functional Committee on Problems of Less Developed Areas, when Awami National Party (ANP) chief Senator Aimal Wali Khan and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman Major General (retd) Hafeezur Rehman traded bitter words.

The meeting, held at the Parliament House under the chairmanship of Senator Agha Shahzeb Durrani, took an unexpected turn when following a round of tough questioning, Senator Aimal briefly stepped out. Upon his return, the PTA chairman reportedly made an inappropriate comment, asking the senator if he had smoked a hashish cigarette.

The remark infuriated Senator Aimal Wali, who demanded to know, “Who gave a government employee the right to level such accusations against an elected representative? This is completely unacceptable conduct.” Despite an apology from the PTA chairman, the senator rejected it and demanded disciplinary action. Committee Chairman Senator Agha Shahzeb Durrani condemned the PTA official’s conduct, calling it an insult to the entire committee. He pledged to raise the matter with the prime minister and directed the IT secretary to formally take notice. The PTA chairman eventually left the meeting. Earlier in the session, Senator Aimal strongly criticised the state of telecom infrastructure in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, saying the billions spent through the Universal Service Fund were not reflected on the ground. “It is nearly impossible to make phone calls in Kurram, Chitral, Swat, Swabi, and Buner,” he said, demanding detailed written reports for the next meeting.