ISLAMABAD: In an unusual move, Chairman Senate Yousaf Raza Gilani on Tuesday suspended the legislative membership of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Falak Naz for two days over “unruly” behaviour in the house meeting.

The otherwise smooth Senate session plunged into panic soon after Gilani, during the Senate session, granted independent senator and former PTI member Faisal Vawda the floor.

This infuriated the PTI senator who started protesting during Vawda’s speech.

“Whatever this man is today — he is by virtue of Imran Khan — and this thankless man has the audacity to speak against Khan Sb,” she deplored.

Naz repeatedly demanded of the chair to stop Vawda from speaking.

She went to the senior PTI leadership in the house including Leader of the Opposition Shibli Faraz and Parliamentary Leader Ali Zafar persuading them to walk out of the house in protest to Vawda’s speech. The PTI senators then staged a walkout from the house.

The chairman Senate directed Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Parliamentary Leader Sherry Rehman to convince the PTI senators to return to the house but the senators continued with the walkout.

However, after Vawda started strongly criticising the PTI leadership, Khan in particular, the PTI leaders, especially Naz, reacted strongly.

Vawda was supported by Afnanullah Khan, Talal Chaudhry and Khalil Tahir Sindhu from Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N).

The opposition senators including Awami National Party (ANP) chief Aimal Wali Khan asked Vawda to apologise for verbally “abusing” Naz. Profanities were exchanged between Vawda and Naz. The treasury side pressed the chairman Senate to suspend Naz’s Senate membership. Some senators were of the view that both the lawmakers be suspended.

In the midst of all the turmoil, the chairman Senate intervened with one-liner, “I hereby suspend the membership of Senator Falak Naz for two days.” The chair then adjourned the session till Thursday.

“Imran Khan zindabad,” shouted Naz, upon hearing about her membership’s suspension.

Earlier, Faraz condemned the arrest of PTI lawmakers from the Parliament House on Monday. The forced abductions violated the sanctity of the house, he said.

“It looked as if it was not the parliament but a den of criminals that was raided to arrest the hardcore criminals,” he deplored.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024