Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Chaotic scenes were witnessed in the National Assembly on Monday as female lawmaker Ayesha Gulalai, who has accused Imran Khan of harassing her through ‘inappropriate text messages’, rose to pour her heart out, with PTI members agitating and chanting slogans throughout her speech.

As the House began discussion on its routine agenda with Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq in the chair, chief whip of PTI Shireen Mazari rose on her seat and chanted ‘stranger in the house’. She pointed out that Ayesha Gulalai had resigned publically from the PTI and that she doesn’t have the right to attend the session since she was no more a member of the National Assembly. However, Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi ruled out her objection while referring to article 63-A/1 of the constitution, which deals with the disqualification of an MNA.

Meanwhile, Gulalai came to the chair and sought his permission to speak on a point of order but the deputy speaker did not allow her at that stage. After concluding the agenda items, the deputy speaker handed over the floor to Ayesha Gulalai. On this, PTI members present in the House rose on their seats and started agitation. They continuously tried to disrupt Gulalai’s speech by chanting slogans against her and beating their desks.

However, Gulalai, unfazed by their hue and cry, continued her speech. She declared that she became member of the National Assembly on merit and would continue her duties as a lawmaker. “What I had said earlier, it was my inner feelings and a voice of my conscience and I am proud on myself because I never compromised on integrity,” she said, and added, “Today, I have given a voice to all those women who faces exploitation. In our country nobody listens to the voice of a poor man until he does not sacrifice his life.” She said, “Imran Khan is not a god who cannot be criticized … the most important thing is character … if character is lost everything is lost.”

Gulalai also slammed PTI leaders and workers for maligning her younger sister. “My sister, Maria Toorpakai, is apolitical but PTI supporters did not even spare her.”

She also questioned the functioning of KP government, especially the output of Ehtasab Commission formed by the provincial government for accountability.

After Gulalai’s speech, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Surriya Asghar stood up and taunted, “Today was the first day of the live coverage of the proceedings of this House and I am glad that nation has come to know about the real face of the PTI.”

Opposition Leader in National Assembly Khursheed Shah expressed his frustration over PTI’s behaviour and said, “We do not do politics on women. We should respect the women. What will be the message of today’s proceedings to masses? Is this our culture?” he questioned.

While citing an earlier statement of former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan in which he stated that the country is under great threat and only few people know the reality and a similar statement by ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Shah demanded an in-camera briefing in this regard from the interior minister.

The opposition leader assured the treasury that if such threat exists in reality, his party will stand with the government to protect the nation and the country.

Earlier, Senator Ishaq Dar, minister for Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs and chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms presented the report of the committee in the National Assembly.

Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid introduced a bill to amend, consolidate and unify eight laws relating to the conduct of elections titled ‘Elections Bill, 2017’ and requested opposition parties to join hands for unanimous approval of the bill.

Published in Daily Times, August 8^th 2017.