- Latif seeks apology from PTI’s Murad, Imran Khan
ISLAMABAD: It seems better sense prevailed following the intervention of a multiparty reconciliation committee following which Javed Latif, the lawmaker of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), who had used derogatory language against the family members of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) parliamentarian Murad Saeed, submitted an unconditional apology on the floor of the House.
Both the parliamentarians had been at each other’s throat over the weekend after the PML-N lawmaker had termed PTI chief Imran Khan a ‘traitor’. Their verbal spat turned physical after Latif had used lewd remarks against Khan and Murad.
Later, Latif crossed all limits by making below-the-belt attacks against Murad Saeed’s family during a media interaction, inciting condemnation from MPs across the political divide.
Though a bipartisan parliamentary committee had proposed two-day suspension from the session for Murad and eight-day suspension for Latif, a parliamentary jirga Thursday succeeded in resolving the issue amicably.
The jirga, headed by parliamentary leader of FATA group, Shah Jee Gul Afridi, and comprising Sahibzada Tariqullah and Sahbizada Muhammad Yaqoob, intervened and convinced Latif to apologise for his indecent language.
Later, Javed Latif, offered his apology, regretting for the words he had used for the family of Murad Saeed.
“I not only retract my words against Imran Khan, but I am also ashamed of making comments about family members of Murad Saeed,” the PML-N leader said, adding he also apologised to the family members of Murad Seed.
Latif said his words about Imran Khan had been wrongly interpreted as no political leader could be called a traitor.
Later, PTI’s Murad Saeed thanked the jirga for resolving the issue. However, he did not use word of “apology” in his speech.
Taking the floor of the House, the PTI member swore by Almighty Allah that he would continue to raise his voice against corruption and injustice in the country. He said that women of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa had also given sacrifices for the sake of peace in the country.
Mian Abdul Mannan of the PML-N also thanked the jirga for settling the dispute, saying he also wanted to apologise for hurting the feelings of Murad Saeed.
The PPP member, Ijaz Jhakrani, said that family members of any lawmaker should not be dragged into politics.
Referring to what he called the “partisan approach” adopted by National Assembly Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi during the spat, Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad observed that the issue could have been resolved inside the House had the chair acted properly at the time.
Abbasi, in a bid to clarify his role, said the chair was fulfilling its responsibilities. He said the untoward happening had occurred outside the assembly hall and the speaker acted immediately by constituting a six-member inquiry committee. Abbasi said the two sides demonstrated parliamentary spirit and accepted the decision of the jirga.
CONCERNS OVER POPULATION & HOUSING CENSUS
A few parliamentarians from FATA, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Sindh expressed their concerns over the ongoing housing and population census.
The lawmakers from FATA also staged a token walkout from the House, saying that their concerns should be addressed by the government. However, they ended their boycott following assurance of the parliamentary secretary for finance that their demands were genuine.
Sahibzada Tariqullah of the Jamaat-e-Islami pointed out that all three members under the census commissioner who were appointed on contract belonged to Punjab and nobody was picked from other provinces.
Shaikh Salahuddin of the MQM said that marking of all the apartments of high-rise buildings in Karachi should be marked during the counting of houses.
On his turn, Maulana Jamaluddin of the JUI-F said that census in FATA had been launched ignoring the fact that a number of houses had been damaged during the ongoing anti-terrorist operation and a few families displaced.
He said that the record of the destroyed houses for the purpose of compensation was available with the National Disaster and Management Authority (NDMA), and the same could be included for enumeration.
AML chief Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad called for making the Abbottabad commission report public, saying that over 15,000 visas were issued to suspected American spies during the PPP tenure.
Speaking on a point of order in the National Assembly, Rasheed said the National Assembly should pass a resolution demanding the government it made the Abbottabad commission report public.
He claimed that he was also present in the meeting when fake signatures of US Senator Peter Galbraith were taken as part of character assassination of the slain former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
Without naming Husain Haqqani, Rasheed said he was provided security by the prime minister’s team during his visit to Pakistan following the Abbottabad incident.
He also pointed out that three senior officers of the Foreign Office had also resigned as protest for not getting promotion on merit.
He alleged that wife of Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and spouses of other officers of the Foreign Office were running an NGO. “The housewives of officials of the Foreign Office and other government officials should not be allowed to run NGOs,” concluded the AML chief.
