ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has sought an apology from Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi over his recent remarks about Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, terming it an “insult to parliament”.

The demand was made by the party after a delegation comprising Senator Faisal Javed and PTI information secretary Fawad Chaudhry called on the Senate chairman at the latter’s office at the Parliament House here on Monday.

Talking to Dawn after their meeting with Mr Sanjrani, Fawad Chaudhry said the prime minister’s statement against the first-ever Senate chairman from Balochistan was not commensurate with his position.

Speaking at different gatherings in Nankana Sahib and Lahore on Saturday, the prime minister had expressed concern over the election of the Senate chairman and said there was a need to elect a consensus chairman of the upper house of parliament as it reflected the federation.

Party’s two-member delegation calls on Sadiq Sanjrani

While claiming that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had always defended democratic norms, Mr Abbasi had reiterated the allegations of horse-trading in the Senate elections earlier this month and alleged that votes were ‘purchased’. Whether the country could earn respect through such tactics, the prime minister had reportedly questioned, insisting that such an election did not enjoy any respect.

Mr Chaudhry said that the Senate represented the federation and the statement of the prime minister had hurt the feelings of the people of Balochistan. He said the PTI would continue to support Mr Sanjrani and would not become part of any “adventurism” against the Senate chairman.

Earlier in the day, some TV channels reported that the Senate chairman’s request for a meeting had been declined by the prime minister. However, the Senate Secretariat issued a clarification, claiming that the chairman had not made any such request.

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2018