ISLAMABAD:
Senators belonging to the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protested in the Senate on Tuesday over fellow lawmaker Ejaz Chaudhry not being brought to the chamber despite the issuance of a production order by President Yousuf Raza Gilani.
During the session, chaired by Gilani, Treasury lawmakers lashed out at opposition leader Shibli Faraz for his “inappropriate” comments against the government. They warned the opposition that their tirade would not be tolerated.
PTI members surrounded the president’s desk with photographs of Ejaz Chaudhry and Imran Khan after Ejaz Chaudhry’s production order was not implemented. They raised slogans demanding the release of Ejaz Chaudhry and withdrawal of “false cases” against him.
Opposition leader Shibli Faraz said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had promised to turn the country into an economic tiger but had instead turned it into a jackal. Later, the PTI legislators withdrew from the process.
The treasury members stood up in protest and criticized Faraz’s comments. “What is this?” asked PML-N parliamentary party leader Irfan Siddiqui. “It’s not going to happen that we continue to listen to what they say.” He demanded that the presidency delete the comments.
Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal responded to PTI saying that during his rule he had looted Pakistan’s resources and used the name of Islam to hide his theft. “This Islamic touch will no longer work here,” he said.
Justice Minister Azam Nazir Tarar said religion should not be used as a shield. He said in the House that the cases against the PTI members were in court and therefore the opposition should talk about them in the House.
Tarar said talks between the government and the PTI were ongoing and to facilitate negotiations, the government had also arranged a meeting between the PTI founder and his party’s negotiating team on Sunday.
Talking about the non-appearance of Ijaz Chaudhry in the House, the Law Minister proposed that the matter be taken up in the House Advisory Committee and the Negotiation Committee.
Meanwhile, responding to a call for attention by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) legislator Sherry Rehman, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar told the house that Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flights to Europe had been restored due to to the measures adopted by the government.
Dar also said that the privatization process of the national airline will definitely move forward.
Subsequently, the session was suspended until Wednesday (today).
