PTI submits privilege motion against PML-N lawmakers

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Friday submitted a privilege motion against lawmakers of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), including Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Mian Abdul Manan and Captain Mohammad Safdar (retd) and others, over Thursday's scuffle in the Parliament. The motion signed by 23 PTI MNAs was submitted to the National Assembly Secretariat.
"We the undersigned (signatures attached) wish to move a privilege motion against PML-N MNAs, including Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Mian Manan, Captain Safdar (retd) and others, who on January 26, 2017 during the NA session physically moved towards the opposition side and took physical aim at PTI MNAs as well as hurling abuses against them," the motion said.
The opposition party also accused PML-N MNA Mian Abul Manan of making obscene gestures with his hand towards the PTI MNAs including women sitting in the front few rows of the House during speech of the PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
The National Assembly on Thursday became a battlefield as a scuffle broke out between the opposition and government lawmakers who exchanged blows and pushed one another. The motion further added, "We feel the violent attack led by PML-N MNAs with a deliberate march towards the opposition as well as Mian Manan's obscene gestures constitute a breach of our privilege as members of the National Assembly."
Five members of the opposition parties had sought permission from Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq to submit a privilege motion against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for "lying" to the Lower House of the Parliament on Panamagate controversy.
The incident triggered when PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi sought permission from the chair to submit a privilege motion against Prime Minister's speech made on Panamagate in the House. Later, members of the PTI and PML-N started raising slogans against each other's leadership.
During the sloganeering, federal ministers Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Tariq Fazal Chaudhary along with other PML-N members approached Shah Mehmood Qureshi where an argument took place. PTI MNAs alleged that Abbasi had passed derogatory remarks against their party Chairman Imran Khan. Meanwhile, Mian Abdul Manan of PML-N allegedly abused the PTI lawmakers.
The PTI leaders said that Manan also made sexist gesturing towards a PTI female lawmaker which resulted into a physical brawl. PTI MNA Shehryar Khan Afridi entered into a scuffle with Petroleum Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. This made PML-N lawmakers pushed Afridi back which led other opposition lawmakers including Jamshaid Dasti, Amjad Khan, Tariq Bashir Cheema and others to jump in. The speaker summoned the sergeant-at-arms to calm down the situation. The ruckus continued for almost 10 minutes or so and soon parliamentarians from other parties came to defuse the situation. Later, the united opposition staged a boycott of the House proceedings as protest for disallowing the opposition an opportunity to submit an adjournment motion against the Prime Minister.