As the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) continued its protest in the National Assembly against the convicted Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, situation became tense on Thursday when some young legislators from the PML-N and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) almost got into a scuffle, which was prevented by their fellow parliamentarians.
The PML-N legislators were demanding the prime minister’s resignation after his conviction by the Supreme Court for flouting court’s orders and expressing contempt. The prime minister did not attend the House proceedings on Thursday. After the passage of two government-moved resolutions – one for the creation of South Punjab province and another to repose confidence in Gilani – treasury members chanted victorious slogans against the protesting MPs of the PML-N. The intensified sloganeering from both sides pushed the PML-N’s Abid Sher Ali, and PPP’s Akhunzada Chitan and Jamshed Dasti in a near-brawl situation.
It was Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) legislator Laiq Muhammad Khan, who pulled the hostile parliamentarians apart to avert violence in the House. The PML-N members started their protest even before the formal start of the session. Abid Sher Ali shouted “Naara-e-Takbeer”, which was responded by PML-Quaid legislator Begum Shahnaz Shaikh with “Jiay Bhutto” and “Jiay Shujaat”. As soon as the speaker started the Question Hour, the PML-N members started shouting “Go Gilani Go”, with no let up in the protest during the 33-minute sitting after which the House was adjourned to meet on Friday (today).
As Gilani was not present in the House, some of the protesting legislators stood in front of his chair, while others used the podium to lodge protest. Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan observed his party’s protesters from the rear desks.
The PML-N parliamentarians introduced some new slogans and placards during their protest in the House, including “BB hum Sharminda hen, Teray Qatil Zinda hen” (Benazir Bhutto, we’re ashamed; your killers are at large), and “(PM’s) Vacancy is vacant: For sale”.
The speaker asked the PML-N members to respect both the parliament and judiciary, but her words fell on deaf ears. At one occasion, a visibly irritated speaker addressed the protesting MPs: “We should not reintroduce the absurd traditions.” Nonetheless, the PML-N legislators continued with their protest, and even obstructed the view of the information minister with placards while he was responding to a supplementary question during the Question Hour. One of the PML-N members even threw torn copies of the questions at the information minister.
