KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Monday condemned the remarks made by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan and Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad against parliament during their speeches at a recent public meeting in Lahore.

Speaking on the resolutions tabled by Ghazala Sial of the PPP and Dr Zafar Ahmed Khan Kamali of the MQM, about a dozen lawmakers asked Mr Khan to tender an apology to the nation for his remarks, otherwise the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) should disqualify him for life from contesting elections.

They also urged the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take suo motu notice of Mr Khan’s remarks.

The resolution reads: “This assembly strongly condemns the remarks passed by and utterances made by Imran Khan against the parliament during a speech in a public meeting.

Lawmakers urge PTI chief to tender apology, ask ECP to disqualify him if he fails to do so

“The derogatory remarks by a parliamentarian against parliament itself are highly objectionable which have injured the feelings of whole the nation, the electorate and their elected representatives.

“The house demands that he should tender an open apology with the nation.”

Senior Minister Nisar Khuhro said Mr Khan was the only politician who had welcomed Pervez Musharraf and supported him in his referendum.

He pointed out that Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar had also said that parliament was supreme.

The minister said courts had taken suo motu notices of several matters and even convicted a prime minister, but they were silent now.

MQM parliamentary party leader Syed Sardar Ahmad said even an ordinary citizen could not use such words against sacred institutions like parliament. He said if Mr Khan thought parliament was so bad he should give up politics.

Kamran Akhtar said if Mr Khan and Mr Rashid had any moral courage they should return salary and perks which they had enjoyed being a member of parliament. He requested the Supreme Court to take notice under Articles 62 and 63 for using abusive language against parliament.

Minister Imdad Ali Pitafi said the parliament was a sacred institution on whose resolution Pakistan was created. He urged the ECP to unseat Mr Khan and Mr Rashid forthwith.

Sabir Qaim Khani, Heer Soho and Dr Zafar Kamali said that Imran Khan had started a new trend in politics by using abusive language against his opponents. Ghazal Sial said Mr Khan neither attended parliament nor discharged his responsibilities, but wanted to become prime minister. She appealed to people not to vote for such a person in future.

When PTI’s parliamentary leader Khurram Sherzaman tried to defend his party chief, Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani asked him to take his seat and said he could not allow anyone to speak against parliament in the house and put the resolution to vote.

Three PTI legislators wanted to speak on the resolution, but the chair did not allow them and said the resolution had already been adopted unanimously.

Then the speaker gave the floor to Senior Minister Nisar Khuhro to take up ‘The Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto University of Law, Karachi (Amendment) Bill, 2016’. But on the suggestion of the minister, he deferred the bill to the next session.

The discussion on the Sindh water issue was put off to the next session.

Talking to media outside the assembly, Mr Sherzaman, along with PTI MPAs Samar Ali Khan and Dr Seema Zia, condemned the resolution and said today PPP had shown its real face.

Published in Dawn, January 23rd, 2018