117
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Thursday lambasted National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq for 'victimising' him and alleged that Sadiq is no longer an impartial speaker.
Members of the PTI staged a walkout from the House after Imran's remarks in the NA. The PTI chief criticised the Speaker's ruling on disqualification references against Khan.
Sadiq earlier forwarded a reference to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) seeking Khan's disqualification from the legislature, whereas he rejected all four references seeking the disqualification of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and other members of his family.
Read more: NA speaker’s ‘partisan’ attitude angers opposition
Khan accused the speaker of 'partiality' and went on to say that all of his assets had been disclosed at two separate press conferences.
"It was said that Imran Khan owned a company Niazi Services which was not disclosed. It was also alleged that Khan purchased a flat in London with the amount he collected for cancer hospital trust."
The PTI chief rejected the notion that he had attempted to conceal any of his property, including Niazi Services.
The PTI chief lashed out at the prime minister's family for allegedly concealing their assets, saying that Nawaz insisted on continuing his term "despite being caught red-handed".
He added that Speaker Ayaz Sadiq's behaviour not only dented the credibility of his position, but also the sanctity of the House.
Speaking to journalists outside the NA, Khan said, "I referred to him as Ayaz Sadiq, not as the Speaker. In my opinion, he is not a speaker. A speaker is supposed to be unbiased."
"Whatever he's done, he has done under pressure from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif," Imran Khan alleged.
"Nawaz believes if someone can be bought, buy them. If they cannot be bought, then they must be suppressed," he alleged.
Before attending the day's session, Khan told journalists that a date for a planned protest march towards Raiwind had not been finalised and that details would be settled after consultations with other opposition parties.
