MUZAFFARABAD: Political temperature abruptly soared in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) as the ruling PML-N and combined opposition traded serious allegations on the floor of the Legislative Assembly and outside on Tuesday.

Speaker Shah Ghulam Qadir also suspended the membership of seven opposition lawmakers for the current session on the issue of an alleged “blasphemous act” by them.

The Legislative Assembly session was called by the government apparently to discuss the situation in India held Kashmir but the agenda included two resolutions on the respect and dignity of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) as well as four resolutions in praise of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

However, at the outset of the proceedings, Monday’s police action on PTI’s anti-Nawaz Sharif demonstration in Muzaffarabad sparked furious row in the house. Around 20 activists, including PTI lawmaker Abdul Majid Khan, were arrested for some time after the police broke up the demonstration by use of batons.

Mr Khan, who was elected on a Kashmiri refugees’ seat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on PTI ticket, took the government to task for its “unwarranted” action against the PTI “in spite of the fact that the ruling PML-N was not stopped from staging an identical gathering at the same spot on April 20.

Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider maintained that whatever had happened on Monday was a routine matter in politics and this should not have been made an issue in the session.

He said Mr Khan should have staged a rally in Peshawar instead of Muzaffarabad.

On this, almost all opposition members hit out at the government, turn by turn, asking it to refrain from bulldozing the opposition on the basis of its numerical strength.

Former premier and PPP leader Chaudhry Abdul Majeed and Leader of the Opposition Chaudhry Yasin accused the government of resorting to vindictive actions against the supporters of the opposition.

Mr Majeed and others demanded of the speaker to constitute a committee on the issue of an MLA’s arrest, but the demand was not entertained by the chair.

Jammu Kashmir Peoples Party (JKPP) chief Sardar Khalid Ibrahim, who also sits on the opposition benches, criticised recent decision to raise salaries of cabinet members. He said he too was surprised to see some resolutions on the agenda, praising Mr Sharif, although the session was summoned to discuss held Kashmir situation.

As Senior Minister Chaudhry Tariq Farooq defended government’s decision to table resolutions in favour of Mr Sharif, the opposition lawmakers rose to their seats and chanted ‘go Nawaz go’ slogans. Some of them also tore the copies of the agenda apart.

Amid a deafening noise, PM Haider announced that he would book the opposition lawmakers for “blasphemy” because the agenda carried the name of the Prophet (pbuh).

All present nine opposition lawmakers quit the house in protest.

However, the opposition members came to the press gallery and denied the allegations outright. They regretted that the government was using this sensitive issue for politicking.

The chair also constituted a seven-member committee, which included Mr Ibrahim and Mallick Mohammad Nawaz from opposition, to probe into the incident and submit a report at the earliest. Later, the house was adjourned to meet again on Wednesday.

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2017