PTI MNAs want PML-N apology for ‘insulting’ women MPs

Ag APP

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) women parliamentarians on Wednesday criticised Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) lawmakers, demanding the suspension of their membership from the National Assembly for “hooliganism and using abusive language” against treasury members and demanded an apology for “insulting” women lawmakers.

Addressing a news conference at Parliament House, Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul Wazir, Parliamentary Secretary for Law and Justice Maleeka Bokhari, Secretary Women Parliamentary Caucus Members National Assembly Munaza Hassan and Syma Nadeem condemned the “negative behaviour” of the PML-N’s male legislators due to which Maleeka Bokhari sustained injuries.

The PTI legislators said the PML-N should “mend its ways and keep the sanctity and respect of the parliament intact”. Zartaj said National Assembly Speaker should take notice of Tuesday’s “unfortunate incident”, adding that PML-N parliamentarians should tender an apology for insulting women parliamentarians of the treasury benches.

She said: “N-League is no longer a political party. PML-N parliamentarians staged a pre-planned drama and it seems that no one — especially women legislators — are safe to sit in the Parliament. They have made it a routine of using abusive language and character assassination of the women colleagues and they should be ashamed of their attitude.”

Zartaj said the federal government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan has presented “the best budget”, but it was “quite unfortunate that N-League and its rude members cannot digest the positive and people-friendly decisions of the government”. The minister said the protest is a democratic right of every member but not in an abusive and violent manner and added the PML-N members “crossed all limits and even did not spare the women legislators”.

She said: “These socially illiterate goons of PML-N should avoid negative things and instead play their due role in enhancing respect and honour of the House. She said PTI parliamentarian Maleeka Bokhari had sustained an eye injury during rumpus.”

In her remarks, MNA Maleeka Bokhari, who sustained an eye injury in the incident, said the PML-N has a record of “attacking institutions including the Supreme Court”. She said the opposition was considering themselves democratic, but their conduct was totally against the norms of parliament.