The National Assembly on Thursday adopted a resolution condemning Sheikh Rashid and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan for openly cursing the parliament at a rally in Lahore.

Presented by federal minister Baleegh-ur-Rehman, the resolution stated that Imran and Rashid's open cursing of the parliament was akin to "disrespecting the nation."

"The parliament is a department of democracy, with which the country's stability and prosperity are tied up," the unanimously passed resolution stated.

"No other system can work in the country," it declared.

The members of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf were missing from the NA when the resolution was passed.

On Wednesday, opposition parties, under the leadership of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek, had held a gathering on Lahore's Mall Road, kick-starting their campaign for the ouster of the PML-N government.

During the rally, Rashid had repeatedly cursed the parliament and announced his resignation from his National Assembly seat, prompting Khan to consider quitting the assemblies on the grounds that parliament had lost its utility in protecting people’s rights. Khan, voicing his support for Rashid, had also "cursed" the parliament.

Addressing a parliamentary session today, members of the National Assembly criticised the opposition leaders for their anti-parliamentary remarks.

'Parliament alone can save the country'

Speaking during the session, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah said that he had felt sorrow when he heard the remarks made by Khan and Rashid against the House.

"We have a scary history," Shah said, recalling that in the past 40 years, the parliament had seen many highs and lows.

"There are politicians who have given unimaginable sacrifices for this parliament. I was 16-years-old when I went to jail for the first time," he said.

Shah said that the parliament is the only institution that could save the country, going on to list the accomplishments of the House.

He said that the parliament had written the Constitution that had given Pakistanis "the right to speak, the right to ask for rights, to strengthen the institutions and distribute power to them".

"This parliament made Pakistan a nuclear power, gave the country missile technology and stole power from dictators to give to the provinces."

"The words that were used against the parliament... I cannot speak about them," Shah said.

"We are set on contempt of institutions," he said, adding that even former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has committed contempt against the institutions. "Imran does the same."

Shah said that numerous cases have been filed against the PPP over the years, but the party has never committed contempt against the institutions.

Yesterday, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had been quick to distance his party ─ which also participated in the Mall Road rally ─ from Rashid's anti-parliamentary remarks.

The PPP respects the parliament and will always do so, he had said in a tweet. He added, "Cannot help the behaviour of others but will never endorse disrespecting [the] Parliament."

'Shameful conduct'

Earlier in the session, Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif had asked that the opposition leaders who had cursed the House be summoned before the National Assembly to explain their remarks.

He had added that if they fail to appear, they should be arrested.

"We will not permit this [language]," Asif had said. "The elections are coming up, everyone has the right to campaign and gather support from voters — but no one has the right to curse."

"This House has never seen such shameful conduct," Asif had added.

"Whatever little respect you have, you have gotten it through your membership in the parliament," Asif had said, addressing Khan and Rashid.

"They (Khan and Rashid) are hurting the sanctity of this institution," he had added.

"If those who derive their strength from the parliament curse it, then all others institutions will lose respect for it. It will no longer be necessary for the other institutions to respect the parliament."

"Those who are members of this House and want to become the prime minister have insulted it," Asif had said.

He had called for action to be taken against Khan and Rashid by the privilege committee before the media.

Earlier today, the PTI Chairman had reiterated his stance regarding the parliament.

"When a Parliament, which must protect [the] nation's interests, passes a person-specific law allowing a disqualified person guilty of Rs3bn money laundering, tax evasion, concealment of assets, forgery and perjury to become head of a [political] party, then such a law is a "laanath" on [parliament]," Khan wrote in a tweet.

He was referring to the Election Bill 2017, which was adopted by the National Assembly in October last year.

The bill featured a controversial amendment that allows politicians disqualified from holding public office to head a political party.

Days after the bill was adopted, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was re-elected as the head of the ruling PML-N.