Slogans, abuses, scuffle in NA

Indecent gestures, slaps, fists, pushes as PML-N, PTI MNAs
trade allegations; speaker seeks video of incident for probe;
says senior members to decide the issue

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly proceedings on Monday witnessed ugly scenes of sloganeering, exchange of abuses, indecent gestures and physical clash among the members of the ruling PML-N and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), who punched and slapped each other.

The situation reached such a stage that the security staff of the National Assembly was called in to separate the members who were also pushing and holding one another. The security staff also made a human chain between the government and the opposition benches in order to control the situation.

Some PTI members, including Shahryar Afridi and Dr Amjad Khan Niazi and an independent member Jamshed Dasti, were seen standing and climbing over the desks. The situation emerged when the PTI members, led by Shah Mehmood Qureshi, raised slogans against Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif while pressing for moving a privilege motion against him (Nawaz Sharif) and Federal Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi moved towards the opposition benches to silence the sloganeering parliamentarian.

Addressing the PTI parliamentarian Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the Speaker said, “Makhdoom Sahib, you have started the slogans which is not good practice.” The Speaker told Shah Mehmood Qureshi that it was pre-planned.

He said that he would also take legal opinion on the privilege motion against the prime minister as to whether it could be moved in the National Assembly or not.

Speaker Sardar Ayaz would look into the situation and take a decision saying that he had also directed for providing him videos of the whole scene. “This is a very painful day in the parliamentary history and I will have to take a decision,” he said. He said that the senior members of the National Assembly would decide the matter.

Apparently, the federal minister asked Naveed Qamar and Shah Mehmood Qureshi to silence the members and allow Khawaja Muhammad Asif to start his speech. However, he was responded with harsh remarks by some PTI members.

During the scuffle, PTI member Dr Amjad Khan Niazi punched Khaqan Abbasi in front of the opposition benches. Moin Wattoo, the PML-N member. slapped Shahryar Afridi of the PTI in his face, which further complicated the situation.

The members from both the sides continued the scuffle even after the chair suspended the proceedings for 15 minutes. So much so, the ‘Chitrali Cap’ of one of members was also seen flying in the air.

The MQM members staged a token walkout from the House against the attitude of PTI members in the House.

Earlier, PTI's deputy parliamentary leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi led the sloganeering against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif towards the end of his speech, which continued till the start of a physical clash among the members.

The opposition leader, Syed Khursheed Shah, and PTI's deputy parliamentary leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi, while speaking on points of order, pressed for moving a privilege motion against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. They said the prime minister had breached the privilege of the House by misguiding the parliamentarians.

Khursheed Shah said that the attitude of the prime minister towards parliament was highly regretful. “You provided wrong facts before parliament and before the apex court and your lawyers say the prime minister enjoys immunity,” he said.

He said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif himself had stated that parliament is an upkeep of democratic values but he himself undermined its supremacy.

Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the PML-N leadership was trying to bury the truth saying the legal team of Nawaz Sharif negated the point of view of the prime minister which he had given on the floor of the National Assembly.

Qureshi said that the PML-N government was taking cover behind the letters from the Prince of Qatar, saying that a third letter would also come to rescue the prime minister. “The prime minister himself should come to the House to give a solution to the situation created after his statement in the National Assembly,” he said.