Minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Marriyum Aurengzeb on Wednesday deplored the conduct of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) and said that the party had once again made apparent its politics of hooliganism and boisterousness.
The PTI, she said, had trampled democratic norms by humiliating the Parliament and tearing up the copies of the Constitution. “They have once again manifested their habit of disregarding constitutional institutions,” she said.
Talking to media persons outside the Parliament, she said that with its track record of street agitations and distrusting the state institutions, the party had now even shown disrespect to the esteemed institution of the Parliament.
“The proceedings were telecast live, the people have seen their real face and now know how much respect the PTI has for the Parliament,” the minister said.
Marriyum said that the PTI always desired anarchy and unrest in the country whether it was on the street or in parliament. “The way the PTI members behaved in the House only suits a party that has no respect for democracy, the Constitution or the honoured office of the Speaker”.
She said it was strange that the same people who had been describing the Parliament as `fake’ were now seeking refuge in the very same Parliament. “They are still trying to bully and humiliate the institutions.”
Answering a question about the Panama Papers, the minister said that there was no contradiction in the statements made by the prime minister in the House and the one presented to the Supreme Court by his lawyer.
The minister said that even the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly did not mention or notice any specific contradiction between the prime minister’s statements speech.
She said that usually it was a norm of the parliamentary that when the Opposition Leader raises an issue in the Parliament, the reply comes from the government, and then members of other parties also speak on the issue. “But in this case the opposition party PTI was not ready to listen the view point of the government”.
“On the other hand,” she said, “the PPP behaved like a mature party and did not join the PTI’s protest.”
Marriyum said that Nawaz Sharif presented himself for accountability even though his name was not mentioned in the Panama Papers. “Even the government responded positively to hold an inquiry into the matter but the PTI always showed no-confidence in the state institutions,” she said.
“They had boycotted the Parliament and remained away from this forum for a long time. If they have now returned to the forum, they shall have to respect it.”
