The Senate witnessed a glimpse of escalating tensions between the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) at political front on Thursday, as senators from the two parties criticised each other for spoiling the political atmosphere in the country.
Speaking on a point of order, PML-N Parliamentary Leader in the Senate Ishaq Dar clarified the contents of an article written by PML-N lawmaker Anusha Rehman on Wednesday, in which she advocated a trial of Senate Chairman Farooq H Naek under Article 6 of the constitution “for breach of the constitution and oath”.
The article referred to Naek’s decision to nominate Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haideri as opposition leader as “mala fide”.
Dar said Rauf Hassan, sponsored by certain political parties, had written an article published on June 11, 2011 in the print media in which he prompted Anusha Rehman to exercise her right of expression. However, he said it was not party policy nor was it intended to malign the Senate chairman. He said Anusha had just replied to Hassan’s article.
In reply to the clarification given by Dar on behalf of Anusha, Senator Saeeda Iqbal of the PPP proposed stern action against her for writing such an article, which provoked PML-N Senator Mushahidullah Khan into saying that the PPP lawmakers should have suggested similar action against President Asif Ali Zardari for his recent speech in Naudero.
The demand made by the PML-N senator irked the PPP parliamentarians, who started shouting at him. “You cannot utter a single word about the president!” Saeeda Iqbal shouted at Mushahidullah, who in response started chanting the president’s name, which led to pandemonium in the House.
Mushahidullah said the contents of the president’s speech should also be discussed in the House so as to fix responsibility for vitiating the political atmosphere in the country.
Mushahidullah said that the preachers of patience were no longer ready to listen to facts, and the House exploded into further chaos at his comments, with all the PPP senators shouting at the PML-N lawmaker. However, the chair referred the issue of Anusha’s article to Senate Standing Committee on Privileges.
