PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Thursday witnessed a rumpus and exchange of harsh words among the treasury and opposition benches when Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) members protested against the opposition leader’s remarks.

The house echoed with “Go Nawaz Go!” and “Ro Imran Ro!” (cry Imran cry) chants when female members of the ruling party protested against Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Maulana Lutfur Rehman’s remarks that PTI stages a “daily female dance show in it’s Islamabad sit-in.”

Minister for Public Works, Shah Farman and MPA Fazal Elahi of PTI tried to reach the opposition benches and engaged in a physical scuffle with opposition members. The Assembly’s security staff, however, stopped them and tried to vacate the assembly hall of those involved in the incident.

The entire house then echoed with slurs as it became difficult for the security staff to control the enraged Minister for Public Health, Shah Farman and advisor to CM, Fazale Elahi.

Farman, later told reporters outside the assembly hall that the opposition leader used derogatory remarks against PTI’s female workers who he said were protesting against the poll rigging.

He said that Maulana Lutfur Rehman spoke in the same tone in which JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman addresses public meetings.

“He should know the difference between assembly floor and public meeting,” Shah Farman said, adding that the opposition leader’s remarks were against Islamic and Pukhtun culture.

Special relief package sought from Islamabad

Earlier, a unanimous resolution was passed by the house, demanding of the federal government for declaring the province as war-affected and announcement of a special relief package for bringing improvement in its socio-economic condition.

The resolution presented by Sardar Hussain, a Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MPA from Chitral said that the province has remained a victim of terrorism for last several years.

He said that terrorism has inflicted severe damages on the economy of the province and unemployment has increased by manifold forcing the people to live below the poverty line.