Imran slated in Senate for using ‘religion card’

ISLAMABAD: The treasury and opposition benches in the Senate on Tuesday accused each other of using religion, hate speech and colonial-era tactics to crush respective opponents.

Reacting to Leader of Opposition Dr Shahzad Waseem’s criticism of Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s speech in the National Assembly a day earlier, the treasury members accused the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and its Chairman Imran Khan of setting the trend of playing the religion card, trampling democratic values, parliamentary traditions and inciting violence. Later, the PTI senators walked out of the House, pointing out lack of quorum and the session was adjourned till Friday morning.

It all started when Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar sought leave to move a bill for adoption with regard to amendment in the Railways Act, 1890. Initially, the opposition wanted its referral to the House committee concerned but later agreed to its adoption.

However, the opposition leader said while there was a talk of colonial-era laws in the House, there was also a need to review other laws being used to suppress the voice of opposite side besides the use of Section-144 and availing detention option.

He referred to Khawaja Asif’s NA speech and said the minister delivered a hate speech and accused PTI chief Imran of using the religion card while a few days back, Minister Javed Latif also did the same and his hate speech was telecast on the national TV. “They are forgetting that PTI chief Imran is the focal point of Pak politics. After failing to defeat him politically, they are now using the religion card and using hate speech against him,” he charged.

The ruling coalition, he contended, should not use the religion card against Imran Khan and defended him for using religion in his speeches and taking guidelines from the State of Madina concept as he was a devotee of Holy Prophet (PBUH). He called for a review of the colonial-era laws.

Later, Minister Tarar welcomed his offer and said the ruling coalition parties had always a positive view on it and vowed to sit with the opposition on this count, saying we are entering the democratic era, leaving behind the colonial times. “We all will have to adopt the democratic conduct and acknowledge the power of vote and accept the parliament’s supremacy,” said Tarar.

Ex-deputy chairman Senate and chief whip Senator Saleem Mandviwala said “all the things mentioned by the opposition leader were started by PTI and Imran Khan. All the wrong things they started and now blaming others. They made false cases against senators, played havoc with the country and instigated people.” He asked what they wanted to prove by telling daily a story about Imran Khan that there was a threat to his life. “Why people have to bear the brunt of this,” he added.

JUI-F’s Maulana Attaur Rehman regretted that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was again witnessing the return of elements who had attacked a school van while PTI was ruling the province since 2013 and financially destroyed it. “You are following the foreign powers agenda,” he alleged.

PTI Senator Fida Muhammad Khan staged a token walk-out during the Question-Hour against writing KP instead of full name of the province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa despite the chair’s ruling.