The National Assembly’s (NA) session on Wednesday witnessed laughter as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) MNA Shireen Mazari and NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq indulged in a pleasant exchange of words.
Shireen Mazari called Ayaz Sadiq ‘yaar’ (friend) while expressing her thoughts on human trafficking. Upon this, Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM-P) Shaikh Salahuddin objected and said that the PTI lawmaker addressed the speaker using the informal term.
The NA speaker who is held in high respect and commonly referred to as “Janaab-e-Speaker”, asked Mazari to explain if she called him ‘yaar’.
The ensuing exchange of words was quite comical as Mazari asked the speaker if he referred to her as ‘yaar’. “I didn’t call you ‘yaar’, you did,” Sadiq responded, adding that he would never dare to do that.
“Why will I call you ‘yaar’, I call you speaker,” Mazari laughed as the assembly broke out into laughter.
As Mazari continued to joke, she once again referred to the speaker as ‘yaar’ and Sadiq was quick to point it out this time.
However, the PTI leader denied calling him ‘yaar’ a second time as well. “I was only responding to your question and asking why will I call you ‘yaar’,” she maintained.
When the speaker asked her fellow party leaders, Asad Umar and Shafqat Mehmood, seated behind her to ascertain whether she said it or not, Mazari responded, “I can call them both ‘yaar’, why will I call you that.”
PTI’s Vice President Shah Mehmood Qureshi chimed in and said, “If we can become friends with those sitting behind us, then why not with those sitting in front of us,” as he gestured to Umer and Mehmood’s placement in contrast to Sadiq’s in the NA.
The speaker then referred to Mazari as a “friend and an elder sister,” to which an objection was raised by Mazari as she was not pleased to be referred as an elder sister.
“I have seen your ID card, you are older than me,” the NA speaker responded to the objections.
Settling the matter, Sadiq said, “Fine, you can become a younger sister. Just don’t use words like ‘yaar’ again,” and Mazari agreed.
