National Assembly session

‘Accidental chairman’ using non-parliamentary language, says Murad

By Muhammad Anis

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Communications Murad Saeed said in the National Assembly on Monday that an accidental chairman of a party representing a family of thieves was speaking on the floor of the House. “His father and Phuppo were also arrested in corruption cases,” he said.

Bilawal Bhutto became Chairman of his party through short-cut and with a chit and now he was using non-parliamentary language in the National Assembly, he added.

He said most of the members including Ahsan Iqbal and others are facing corruption charges. “They are corrupt, gas thieves and electricity thieves,” he said adding that the PPP leaders committed robbery of the national exchequer and rights of the Sindh province.

He said the opposition members were not interested in debating Kashmir issue during joint sitting of Parliament and instead they continued demanding issuance of production orders of their leaders who were arrested on corruption charges.

The opposition members registered strong protest in the National Assembly against arrest of Maryam Nawaz by a team of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) as PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari termed it a shameful act on part of the government.

The PML-N parliamentarians while raising slogans gathered in front of Speaker’s dais after Bilawal Bhutto on a point of order, said that he just came to know through television while sitting in the lobby that Maryam Nawaz has been arrested. “I strongly protest arrest of female workers and leaders of the opposition parties without any conviction,” he said adding that the country was witnessing new era of dictatorship in Naya Pakistan.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that his family has been doing politics for decades but it is happening for the first time since dictatorial regime of Ziaul Haq that female leaders of the opposition are being detained. He said that regime of military dictator used to go after women of the opposition parties. “Now in Naya Pakistan, we are seeing a new dictator Imran Khan where women are being arrested without any conviction,” he said. He said that it would be remembered in the history that Imran Khan who talked about giving justice to masses, was acting otherwise.

Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri adjourned proceedings of the House till Friday morning after the protesting opposition members did not return to their seats despite his repeated warnings.

Meanwhile, the MQM parliamentarians staged token walkout from the House to protest remarks of ex-president Asif Ali Zardari used by him against people migrated to Karachi and Sindh province at time of partition, during his speech at joint sitting of Parliament.

Federal Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui who hails from MQM on a point of order, without naming Asif Zardari said during joint sitting a speech was delivered in which insulting remarks were used for the Mohajir community. “The speech served agenda of India and amounted to insult of refugees and ideology of Pakistan,” he said. The minister said that the people who migrated from Punjab, UP, Bihar and other areas of Hindustan took part in freedom movement despite the fact that they knew that their native towns would not be included in Pakistan. “We gave numerous sacrifices for the country and brought with ourselves our part of Pakistan and were not offered refuge by any community in Sindh,” he said adding they left behind more properties and lands than the PPP leaders accumulated in different ways.

Abdul Qader Patel of PPP while responding to speech of the MQM parliamentarians said his party leadership attached high respect for those who gave sacrifices for Pakistan and migrated to this part.

However, he said that MQM has been using the word ‘Mohajir’ which serves their political motives. “They become parliamentarians, ministers, governors, prime ministers but still call them as Mohajir,” he said.

Patel said the MQM people should live in Pakistan like Pakistani.

Federal Minister Shafqat Mahmood said that Pakistanis have every right to call them as Mohajir, Sindhi, Punjab etc. “It is highly regrettable they are asked to become Pakistani if they want to live in Pakistan,” he said.

Deputy Speaker on that said all those sitting in Parliament are Pakistanis and everybody should get respect.

Earlier, soon after speech of Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, the PML-N member Shaikh Fiazuddin pointed out lack of quorum as protest against non-issuance of Rana Sanaullah's production order was going on. However, on counting the House was found in order.