The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly session on Tuesday had already been marred by chaos as opposition lawmakers protested alleged irregularities in the distribution of funds across the province, but the situation worsened after one MPA made a distasteful remark directed at a female counterpart from the opposition.

According to reports, Deputy Speaker KP Assembly Dr Meher Taj Roghani had allowed the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf's Public Health Engineering Minister Shah Farman to address the House amidst the ongoing protest against the disbursement of public funds.

While Farman attempted to speak, PPP MPA Nighat Orakzai interrupted his address to allege that a significant amount of development funds were diverted to Nowshera while several other districts were neglected. Nowshera is the constituency of KP Chief Minister Pervez Khattak.

On hearing this, the PTI lawmaker said Orakzai had been misinformed and asked her to "meet [him] separately" so that he could explain the disbursements of funds to her.

Upon hearing this, a ruckus broke out in the KP Assembly and all opposition lawmakers started protesting the 'indecent' remark made by Shah Farman.

Later, Orakzai also went to the residence of KP Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser to record her protest against the insult.

While talking to DawnNews, the PPP lawmaker said the KP Assembly speaker had assured her that a proper inquiry would be initiated into the matter.

“You are like a sister to me and I will ensure that justice is served in this case,” Orakzai quoted Qaiser as saying.

He also said that he would take up the matter with PTI chief Imran Khan, said Orakzai.

A similar incident had occurred in Sindh Assembly in January, when PPP MPA Imdad Pitafi, the provincial minister for works and services, caused a furore in the Sindh Assembly when, in response to a question asked by PML-F lawmaker Nusrat Sahar Abbasi, he invited her to his chamber for what he called a "satisfactory reply".

MPA Abbasi had lodged a severe protest over this. She requested all women in the province and the country to stand up with her against "shameless men".

"This is not a personal issue, this is a problem in every household," she had asserted.

Opinion

Editorial

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.
Hasty transition
Updated 05 May, 2024

Hasty transition

Ostensibly, the aim is to exert greater control over social media and to gain more power to crack down on activists, dissidents and journalists.
One small step…
05 May, 2024

One small step…

THERE is some good news for the nation from the heavens above. On Friday, Pakistan managed to dispatch a lunar...
Not out of the woods
05 May, 2024

Not out of the woods

PAKISTAN’S economic vitals might be showing some signs of improvement, but the country is not yet out of danger....