Scuffle breaks out between PTI lawmaker and PM Abbasi's son in Senate

Published March 12, 2018
Abdullah Abbasi angered by Hamidul Haq's slogans in favour of PTI chief after Senate chairman election.— DawnNewsTV
Abdullah Abbasi angered by Hamidul Haq's slogans in favour of PTI chief after Senate chairman election.— DawnNewsTV

A scuffle broke out between Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) MNA Hamidul Haq and the prime minister's son, Abdullah Abbasi, in the Upper House on Monday evening, moments before the announcement declaring Senator Sadiq Sanjrani as the newly-elected Senate chairman was to be made, DawnNewsTV reported.

In a tense contest between PML-N backed Senator Raja Zafarul Haq and opposition-backed Sanjrani — an independent candidate from Balochistan — the latter came out comfortable on top with 57 votes, four more than the required count and 11 more than his rival.

As soon as Sanjrani was announced the new Senate Chairman, Haq had started chanting slogans in PTI's favour which angered Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi's son.

A heated verbal argument ensued between the two, which quickly escalated into a brawl.

The two were eventually separated by lawmakers and Senate staff present in the gallery.

Subsequently, Haq was taken outside the house by PML-N leader Chaudhry Jafer Iqbal, while security guards took Abdullah outside the House.

Later, while talking to media persons outside the Senate, Haq said the sloganeering had started before the formal announcement of the successful candidate.

"As the decision was announced, I too started chanting slogans in support of my party leader. That's when two gentlemen grabbed me from behind and choked my throat," he alleged.

The PTI lawmaker said he will file a complaint with the National Assembly speaker.

"I will ask how someone who is not a lawmaker came to the upper house accompanied by three guards," he complained.

Opinion

Editorial

Impending slaughter
Updated 07 May, 2024

Impending slaughter

Seven months into the slaughter, there are no signs of hope.
Wheat investigation
07 May, 2024

Wheat investigation

THE Shehbaz Sharif government is in a sort of Catch-22 situation regarding the alleged wheat import scandal. It is...
Naila’s feat
07 May, 2024

Naila’s feat

IN an inspirational message from the base camp of Nepal’s Mount Makalu, Pakistani mountaineer Naila Kiani stressed...
Plugging the gap
06 May, 2024

Plugging the gap

IN Pakistan, bias begins at birth for the girl child as discriminatory norms, orthodox attitudes and poverty impede...
Terrains of dread
Updated 06 May, 2024

Terrains of dread

Restored faith in the police is unachievable without political commitment and interprovincial support.
Appointment rules
Updated 06 May, 2024

Appointment rules

If the judiciary had the power to self-regulate, it ought to have exercised it instead of involving the legislature.