Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has said that after the incident of pandemonium in the National Assembly, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has taken the load off itself.

“I called for the videotapes and other evidence about the regretful happening to conduct an impartial probe,” he said, adding that no one would be allowed to shatter the prestige of the House.

On Thursday, during the session of the National Assembly, an exchange of hot words between minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and PTI’s MNA Shehryar Khan Afridi turned into a hubbub, in which members of the House thumped each other with slaps, punches and kicks. After the incidents, the speaker said that action would be taken in the light of consultation with the opposition leader as well as all the parliamentary leaders, but what happened was a painful episode. PTI leader Shehryar Khan Afridi said in this connection that before the incident some 15 to 20 MNAs from the PML-N came to floor and used inappropriate language when Shah Mehmood Qureshi was addressing the House. After that, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi came towards Shah Mehmood Qureshi and began abusing him, on which young MNA Murad Saeed reacted, he said. In the mean time, the pushing, shoving and abusing started in the House. Afridi said that during the whole time the National Assembly speaker kept mum. “Whenever the PML-N runs out of arguments, they begin fighting.”

In this connection, former MNA Nadim Afzal said that the government should adopt the policy of tolerance.

It is pertinent to mention here that on Thursday evening, a brawl took place in the National Assembly between the members of the PTI and the PML-N when Shah Mehmood Qureshi was addressing the House.

During his speech, Qureshi raised slogans against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, on which the speaker gave the ruling that Qureshi took advantage of his politeness.