PESHAWAR: Opposition leader Maulana Lutfur Rehman’s fierce remarks against women workers of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf caused commotion in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Thursday.

Lawmakers from both sides bulldozed decorum of the house by using abusive and un-parliamentary language against each other.

Speaker Asad Qaisar appeared to be helpless to restore order in the house as he had to adjourn the proceedings when the situation went out of control.

The assembly’s security staff and officers intervened to avoid a scuffle when public health engineering minister Shah Farman and parliamentary environment secretary Fazal Elahi tried to charge at Pakistan People’s Party MPA Nighat Orakzai.

Opposition shouts slogans against Imran, treasury against Nawaz, Fazl

They became furious at Nighat Orakzai for passing remarks against the PTI chairman.

Shah Farman made several attempts to attack Orakzai.

“This is the worst scene which I have witnessed in this assembly during my political career,” said one officer of the assembly secretariat.

Opposition members shouted slogans against PTI chairman Imran Khan including ‘The friend of Jews is a traitor’ and ‘ro (cry) Imran ro.’

Members of the treasury benches, especially women, responded by shouting slogans including ‘go Nawaz go’ as well as ‘diesel, diesel’ referring to JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

The trouble started in the house when opposition leader Maulana Lutfur Rehman, who is younger brother of Maulana Fazlur Rehman, while opening discussion on current political situation in the country, defended his elder brother’s remarks in which he had stated that daughters of the nation were made to dance in PTI sit-ins.

“He (Maulana Fazlur Rehman) has rightly said that daughters of the nation have been made to dance in PTI sit-ins,” said the opposition leader. His incendiary comments triggered commotion in the house by angering treasury members, who demanded that the opposition leader withdraw his remarks about women.

When PTI lawmakers continued their onslaught, members of the opposition began shouting slogans in support of Maulana Lutfur Rehman.

Speaker Asad Qaisar left his chair in protest and went to his chamber, giving the floor to the rowdy lawmakers to vent their spleen.

The opposition leader accused Imran Khan of trying to derail democratic process in the country.

He said Maulana Fazlur Rehman faced threat to his life and that he had survived three suicide attacks, including the one carried out in Quetta recently.

“Our party leader has always opposed violence and armed struggle for achieving rights. The PTI chairman has invited dictatorship and has been waiting for ‘the umpire’ to raise his finger (against the government),” he said.

The session was adjourned until November 10.

RESOLUTIONS: Earlier, the assembly passed five resolutions moved by the treasury and opposition members.

However, one resolution related to creation of a new zone in the provincial public service commission for Kohistan, Batagram, Torghar and Shangla districts was kept pending.

Through a resolution moved by Zareen Gul, the house asked the federal government to make payment to the people, who had sold their lands for the construction of Shah Maqsood Interchange in Haripur.

Another resolution was passed demanding that the federal government give the control of Pakistan Tobacco Board to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.

Also in the session, minority MPA Sardar Soran Singh condemned the death sentence to Jamaat-i-Islami leader in Bangladesh Maulana Matiur Rehman.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2014