Daily Times

PTI women MNAs on Wednesday condemned the unruly behaviour witnessed in National Assembly (NA) and called for suspension of PML-N members who attacked and injured MNA Maleeka Bokhari. They also demanded an apology from PML-N lawmakers

“They are witness to how a parliamentarian … who is the parliamentary secretary for law and legislates for the protection of their rights, even she was attacked in this august House (NA), which itself was desecrated,” Maleeka Bokhari, during a joint press conference in Islamabad alongside Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul and other PTI lawmakers, said. She said Tuesday’s incident in the NA had raised concerns among women and girls in Pakistan. She said her party members, however, would not stoop to attacking others. “We will [fight back] with arguments substantiated with facts and logic,” she asserted. “This is what our leader has taught us – that the women of Pakistan can present their stance with grace while representing 50 per cent of the country’s population [in parliament].”

Terming Tuesday’s episode a ‘black day’ for parliament, she alleged that the unruly behaviour of PML-N lawmakers had the approval of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif. She added that while she was pained and disappointed at what had transpired in the lower House of parliament, she was not surprised. “Because it is nothing new… it is the same party which had attacked the Supreme Court, unarmed women in Model Town, disrespected former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and had been subjecting PTI’s women lawmakers to ridicule,” she said.

Referring to the Tuesday’s episode, she questioned, “Is this how we want to run this parliament? There is a code of conduct and some rules and regulations that must be observed by parliamentarians, but were blatantly flouted by PML-N lawmakers. Your [PML-N’s] oppressive behaviour was exposed. You crossed all limits.”

Zartaj Gul said that PML-N lawmakers misbehaved and attacked women in parliament on the instructions of Nawaz. She added that it had been a tradition in the PML-N to award high posts to members who misbehaved with women. She particularly named Ali Gohar Baloch of the PML-N, further claiming that the party’s misbehaviour stemmed from their frustration over no women members from the PML-N being capable enough of contesting even the elections for councillors.

Besides, the minister said the opposition not being able to find any faults in the budget added to their frustration.

She went on to say that the PML-N could not tolerate the presence of the PTI and women in mainstream politics and that it had turned into a party of “dacoits” and hooligans”. “But we, women, and the people of Pakistan will not put up with this [behaviour].”

The minister called for the suspension of PML-N lawmakers who misbehaved with women in parliament the previous day and demanded an apology. She pointed out that if women would continue to face verbal and physical attacks, abuse and character assassination, no respectable woman would want to be a part of parliament. “Do not close the doors of politics for the coming generations,” she appealed.

Women’s Parliamentary Caucus Secretary Munaza Hassan also termed the misbehaviour with women in parliament “shameful” and “embarrassing”. “Targeting and attacking women is shameful,” she said, adding that she condemned such behaviour and that all women must be respected whether they were from the opposition of treasury benches. She, too, urged the leadership of political parties to sit together and address the issue.