The Senate session on Wednesday witnessed a lot of commotion after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Samina Saeed moved a call-to-attention notice on the appointment of Ali Jahangir Siddique as Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States (US).
The senator said there were reservations regarding the appointment because Siddique was Prime Minister (PM) Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s “business partner’s son”. Saeed said it was both inappropriate and unfortunate that the PM took such a controversial decision.
She raised another point, saying that Siddique lacked the prior experience to negotiate the harsh diplomatic waters while alleging that he was not a fit candidate because he was also being tried in different accountability cases.
Senator Saeed also told the Senate that Pakistan-US relations were quite rocky at the moment and Siddique’s inexperience in leading diplomatic missions could further complicate matters between the two countries.
The senator was cut short by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Sadia Abbasi, the prime minister’s sister, who said, “It is better that you remain focused on your call-to-attention notice rather than dragging the prime minister into this matter.”
Saeed retaliated by saying, “You are the sister of the prime minister and I am a member of the opposition. I will focus on the notice if you refrain from discussing personal matters in parliament.”
As things escalated, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, the leader of the house, and Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif stepped in to stop Senator Abbasi from interrupting Senator Saeed in order to avoid a conflict.
“Refrain from discussing personal matters in the parliament as it would disrupt the atmosphere,” the Senate chairman remarked.
Meanwhile, Senator Asif said that Siddique’s appointment was not in violation of the law. “Per the constitution, it is not required to approach parliament for the appointment of a diplomat. Therefore, no law has been violated because the prime minister can exercise his right to appoint any diplomat he sees fit for the job,” he said.
He also refuted the allegations that Siddique was facing accountability cases.
The controversy
Siddique’s appointment as ambassador to the US had received criticism from different quarters because prior to his new appointment, he was serving as special assistant to the PM on economic and business matters.
He had also served as director of Airblue airlines, a business linked to the prime minister’s family. Also, the PM and Siddique’s father have been long-time business partners.
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