Tag: National Assembly

  • National Assembly committee thinks slogan ‘Mera Jism, Meri Marzi’ is ‘immoral’

    National Assembly committee thinks slogan ‘Mera Jism, Meri Marzi’ is ‘immoral’

    In a supposed attempt to curb ‘moral indecency’ allegedly linked to the Aurat March, the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting urged the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to direct all media channels to stop telecasting slogans like “Mera Jism, Meri Marzi”.

    The NA body held a meeting on Thursday under the chairmanship of Mian Javed Latif of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

    The committee asked the government to check the telecast of indecent and controversial content on television channels with a special reference to the slogans related to the Aurat March annually held on the International Women’s Day. The committee decided to take up the issue with PEMRA and owners of the electronic media houses.

    A lawmaker, Aftab Jahangir, expressed ‘concern’ over the language used by “certain people in news channel programmes” saying it was repugnant to the Islamic teachings, which no person could “watch in the presence of family members”.

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said Islam was the champion of women’s rights, and anything against the religion and socio-cultural values would not be allowed.

    The constitution gives the right of freedom of speech but being the citizens of an Islamic and democratic country “we have some responsibilities and values”.

    “Nobody would be allowed to ridicule the ‘Islamic way’ of life in the name of freedom of speech,” the SAPM stressed.

    Dr Firdous said it was not an issue of the government but that of the entire society. The government, however, was committed to protecting the constitutional, legal, political, social and economic rights of women.

    ‘NO ONE CAN STOP AURAT MARCH’:

    Meanwhile, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that “no maulana, politician or anchorperson can stop women from holding the march”.

    Speaking at a women convention by PPP Punjab in Lahore on Thursday, he said Benazir Bhutto had always fought against terrorism with courage.

    “The people who say that women would not march should hear loud and clear that they will march and no one can stop them. This path was shown by Benazir Bhutto. The PPP is standing shoulder to shoulder with women of this country and we demand the government provide protection to each and every march and the people threatening women be arrested and cases registered against them.”

    He said women were not begging, rather they were seeking their constitutional rights. “This is Pakistan of Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and Pakistan of every woman the country. This is not a Pakistan for the conservatives.”

    The PPP, Bilawal added, was a party of prosperity for the people of Pakistan. “Women know the best about the economy of the country because they manage homes. Women will take the PPP’s message of prosperity to every nook and corner of this country.”

    The PPP chief further said that his party had always raised voice for women empowerment.

  • Slugfest in parliament as Bilawal says ‘Imran owes his career to an ISI chief’

    Slugfest in parliament as Bilawal says ‘Imran owes his career to an ISI chief’

    The session of the Lower House was marred by verbal duels as lawmakers belonging to both the treasury and opposition benches trained guns at each other where they were supposed to debate rising inflation — especially the skyrocketing prices of food items amid the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s apparent inability to control the same.

    According to The Express Tribune, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Asif on Tuesday led the opposition’s onslaught against the government in the National Assembly, but it was Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari who stole the spotlight with his remarks against Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, drawing a strong reaction from the treasury benches.

    Calling the premier “incompetent, incapable and selected”, Bilawal asked him to step down in the country’s best interest. “People are suffering due to inflation and unemployment. This government has sunk a fledgeling economy it had inherited from its predecessors… unemployment and poverty are at their highest level,” he said.

    Presenting economic statistics, Bilawal said that inflation during the past 18 months had surpassed the figure recorded in the past 10 years, and went on to claim that the prices of food items had increased by 78 per cent.

    “On top of this, the government has increased gas and power tariffs, and fuel prices,” he said. “We cannot sit idle when the people are suffering,” added Bilawal, who has already announced plans to launch a movement to oust the government.

    Also, criticisng the government for its deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), he said it was poorly negotiated those “who had compromised on the rights of the people of Pakistan”.

    “Now… we will not ask him [PM Imran] to commit suicide, but at least for the sake of the people, he must accept his mistakes and resign so that the masses could be provided relief. He must acknowledge that he is incompetent and incapable,” Bilawal said in another dig at the premier.

    “When you have a selected government, then there is no regard for the people’s suffering,” Bilawal said, alleging that Imran’s entire career “could be credited to a chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) — Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency”.

    With Bilawal’s comments not going down well with Speaker Asad Qaiser, the latter said Imran was the PM and Bilawal could not speak of him in this manner. He reprimanded Bilawal and ordered the remarks be expunged from proceedings of the house.

    Communications Minister Murad Saeed, who is known for his aggressive speeches on the floor of the house, responded to Bilawal’s speech by launching a counterattack on the PPP chairperson. “How can someone who was handed his political career in his mother’s will, call the PM as ‘selected’,” he said.

    He asked how an “accidental chairman” could teach politics to them [PTI leaders] and told the lawmakers that he was the son of a labourer who owned no properties and that he was not a slave to anyone. “I challenge [Asif Ali] Zardari’s son to pick any constituency, I will contest elections against him.”

    Speaking next, Abdul Qadir Patel criticised Saeed’s taunts at the PPP chief, besides calling out the government for its “flawed” policies. “The common man is facing hardships in running day to day matters,” he said.

  • Tamghae Imtiaz recipient Mehwish Hayat supports public hanging of child rapists

    Tamghae Imtiaz recipient Mehwish Hayat supports public hanging of child rapists

    As the National Assembly (NA) resolution seeking public hanging for child rapists attracts mixed reactions from all quarters, Tamghae Imtiaz recipient Mehwish Hayat has supported the same despite the opposition of many, including federal ministers Farrogh Naseem, Shireen Mazari and Fawad Chaudhry.

    The NA on Friday adopted a resolution seeking public hanging of those convicted for sexually abusing and murdering children, with a majority vote amid opposition from two government ministers and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). While the two ministers — Shireen and Fawad — condemned the resolution and termed it as an expression of extremism, Federal Minister for Law and Justice Barrister Farrogh Naseem opposed it as “contravention to Islamic teachings and the Constitution”.

    With the never-ending debate on capital punishment continuing on Saturday, actor Mehwish Hayat took to Twitter to support the resolution.

    “Strange when these rapes and murders of children are reported, we all call for the perpetrators 2 be hung in public. When the govt agrees we all begin 2 hide behind ‘human right violations’. Unfortunate as it is, we need strong deterrents to stop this rot in society! [sic]” she tweeted with ‘#hangchildrapists’.

    Meanwhile, Minister Farrogh Naseem, in a media talk, said that the Supreme Court (SC) had declared public hanging of a culprit as unlawful back in 1994. “The apex court has declared public hanging of a convict a violation of the Sharia and the Constitution.”

    “The Law Ministry will not hammer out a law against the constitution and the teachings of Sharia,” he said.

    The resolution was tabled in the Lower House by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan. He had on Friday said that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan wanted capital punishment for child abuse convicts.

  • NA adopts resolution for public hanging of child rapists amid PPP’s opposition

    NA adopts resolution for public hanging of child rapists amid PPP’s opposition

    The Lower House on Friday adopted a resolution seeking public hanging of child rapists with a majority vote despite opposition from the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), ARY reported.

    According to reports, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan, who had tabled the resolution in the National Assembly, said that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan wanted death sentence for child abuse convicts.

    “When we raised the issue of a public hanging in the National Assembly Standing Committee on Human Rights headed by [PPP chief] Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, it was opposed,” the minister said and added that the government desired a new law aimed at hanging of convicts.

    While another PTI MNA, Imran Khattak, also supported the demand to adopt a resolution calling for public hanging of child sexual abusers, PPP leader and former PM Raja Pervaiz Ashraf opposed the same, saying that the country had signed a United Nations (UN) charter against public hangings.

    “If this [resolution] is adopted, the world would not accept it,” he reportedly said.

    It is pertinent to note that the PPP, according to its chief, is against capital punishment “on principle”. Bilawal’s maternal grandfather and PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was also sentenced to death on April 4, 1979.

  • Extension almost here for Gen Bajwa as PTI, PML-N, PPP join hands in NA

    Extension almost here for Gen Bajwa as PTI, PML-N, PPP join hands in NA

    In a first, both the government and major opposition parties on Tuesday joined hands to approve in the National Assembly all three bills formalising the tenure of the three services chiefs, including Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

    According to Geo News, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan made a rare appearance in the Lower House of the parliament as the assembly voted on three bills that will formalise the tenures of the army, navy and air force chiefs.

    Before the voting started, Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak took the floor to request the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) that it take back amendments it had suggested to the bills, saying he was making the request “keeping in mind the regional and national situation”.

    Naveed Qamar, who spoke on behalf of the PPP in response to Khattak’s request, said that the amendments had been suggested to improve the bills but, after being approached by a government delegation and consulting with the rest of the opposition, the party had decided to withdraw them.

    With voting commencing shortly after the dialogue, Speaker Asad Qaiser asked legislators to express their assent or dissent. The bills were voted on clause by clause.

    Some opposition lawmakers, including those from Jamaate Islami (JI), the Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), walked out in protest over the bills. They had earlier announced they would not be supporting the bills on principle. All the major parties had, however, lent near unquestioning assent to the same.

    After voting on the bills concluded, the National Assembly session was adjourned till 4 pm on Wednesday.

    The bills will now be sent for approval to the Senate Standing Committee on Defence before they are voted on in the Senate, and become law once signed by the president.

  • VIDEO: ‘Mein ne jaan Allah ko deni hai’ haunts Afridi at National Assembly

    VIDEO: ‘Mein ne jaan Allah ko deni hai’ haunts Afridi at National Assembly

    The first session of the National Assembly on Wednesday was particularly harsh for Minister of State for Narcotics Control Shehryar Afridi as members of opposition parties trolled him for his statements regarding the case against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah Khan, amid the government’s failure to present any “substantial evidence” before the court.

    According to media reports, opposition members repeatedly called Afridi a “liar” and mocked his oft repeated sentence “Mein ne jaan Allah ko deni hai” when the minister got up from his seat to respond to a query regarding the development work being undertaken in the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

    PML-N MNA Shahnawaz Ranjha said that Afridi was his friend but “inhon ne jaan Allah ko deni hai”.

    The opposition’s criticism angered Afridi who responded by saying that some people would give their soul to Allah like Hazrat Imam Hussain (AS), while some people would face God’s wrath like “Shimar and Firon”.

    He said that he would prove all allegations against him wrong if he was granted some time.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Interestingly, no person from the government benches — neither the PTI nor any of its coalition partners — came to Afridi’s defence as the opposition poked fun at the minister.

    Later, while speaking on the development in erstwhile FATA, Afridi informed the House that the budget for the merged tribal districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) had been enhanced from Rs58 billion to Rs162bn.

    Afridi said that Rs62bn had been allocated to the KP government for the “recurrent and development budget” for erstwhile FATA.

    He said that Rs48bn had further been earmarked by the federal government according to its share of the National Finance Commission Award and released to KP, adding that the federal government had also released Rs10bn for the previous financial year 2018-19 to the KP government.

  • MQM to quit PTI’s ruling coalition, help opposition topple Imran govt?

    MQM to quit PTI’s ruling coalition, help opposition topple Imran govt?

    Soon after Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari asked the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) to break away from the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in centre and join the Sindh government, the MQM-P has expressed dissatisfaction over the federal government’s performance.

    According to The News, Bilawal had on Monday offered PTI’s ruling partners, the MQM-P, stakes in the Sindh government, saying Sindh and Karachi could only get their share of development if Imran’s government collapsed.

    “You can stop this injustice being done with Karachi and Pakistan by breaking your alliance with the PTI and toppling Imran Khan’s government to save Karachi, and we will fully support you. For the sake of Karachi, for the sake of the people of Karachi, we are ready to offer to the MQM[-P] in Sindh, as many ministries as they have in the centre today,” a very charged PPP chief had said while addressing the inaugural ceremony of four mega development projects in Korangi.

    While extending his offer, Bilawal had repeatedly called for toppling Imran’s government as he tried to persuade the MQM-P to break its alliance with the PTI in centre. He made the unexpected offer while Mayor of Karachi Waseem Akhtar — who belongs to the MQM-P — was attending the inaugural ceremony along with Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah.

    It wasn’t later that the MQM-P reacted to the offer by saying that they “hadn’t joined the PTI for ministries”.

    Dunya News quoted an MQM-P spokesperson as clarifying that the alliance with PTI “was for the benefit of Karachi and not to get ministries”. He further said that MQM-P’s politics were all about serving people; however, he reportedly expressed dissatisfaction over the performance of the federal government.

    “Transfer powers to local governments instead of making offers of ministries,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying soon after Mayor Waseem Akhtar said that the MQM-P “could join anyone for the betterment of the people”.

    RULING COALITION:

    The PTI and its allies on one side and opposition parties on the other have closely contested their positions in the National Assembly.

    Given their respective numerical strengths, the ruling coalition has around 225 lawmakers while the opposition has nearly 221 members and the simple majority of the total lawmakers of 446 (342 MNAs and 104 senators) comes to 224.

    The PTI has 156 members of the National Assembly. Its allies have varying numbers. The Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) and Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) have five members each; Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has seven MPs; Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) has three lawmakers; Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) has four MNAs and Awami Muslim League and Jamhoori Watan Party have one member each besides the support of two independents.

    They all come to 184.

    In the Lower House of Parliament, the PML-N has 84 MNAs; Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has 55 MPs; Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) has 16 members; and Awami National Party (ANP) has one lawmaker. Two independents stand with the opposition parties. In the Senate, the PTI is supported by 15 legislators, the MQM-P by 5 senators, the BAP by two MPs, and BNP-M and PML-Functional by one each. If the decisive number of 16 senators, including those elected from the erstwhile tribal areas are placed in the government pocket, the total strength of the PTI and its allies comes to 39 senators.

    With BNP-M likely to defect from the ruling coalition and the MQM-P being offered ministries in Sindh, any changes to the hung parliament in favour of the opposition parties could be fatal for the PTI government.

  • Govt officials ditch Asad Umar at NA finance body meeting

    Govt officials ditch Asad Umar at NA finance body meeting

    Government officials have ditched former finance minister Asad Umar at a session of the National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee on Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs, a private media outlet reported.

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNA was appointed chairman of the NA finance body after he was sacked by Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan as the country’s finance minister earlier this year.

    According to reports, Umar on Thursday expressed displeasure over the absence of government officials during a meeting of the parliamentary committee convened by him.

    The committee, in protest, has postponed its approval for the passage of government bills, including the Foreign Exchange Regulation Amendment Bill 2019, Anti-Money Laundering Amendment Bill 2019 and Asset Declaration Ordinance 2019.

    “We are postponing the passage of all government bills,” Umar was quoted as saying. “If the government is not serious about these bills, then they should at least take us [committee members] seriously,” he said.

  • Calling PM Imran ‘selected’ banned in parliament

    Calling PM Imran ‘selected’ banned in parliament

    Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly (NA) Qasim Suri has barred lawmakers from using the word “selected” to address Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, a private media outlet reported.

    According to reports, during the NA session held Sunday, Federal Minister for Energy Omar Ayub Khan protested against the premier continuously being referred to as “selected” in the house.

    He said that addressing PM Imran as “selected” was a breach of the privilege of the house as he was an elected representative.

    Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan, who was presiding over the session, then banned the use of the word, saying that each member had entered the house through votes of the people and the word came as an offence to the house.

    Lawmakers of opposition parties have time and again referred to the premier as “selected” for they allege the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of coming to power after “stealing the mandate of the people”.

  • VIDEO: PM Imran spotted dancing ‘to mock opposition’ during budget session

    VIDEO: PM Imran spotted dancing ‘to mock opposition’ during budget session

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has been spotted dancing on the floor of the National Assembly, in what appears to be an attempt to mock the opposition.

    As per the details, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government on Tuesday presented its first federal budget while members of opposition parties recorded a strong protest against PM Imran.

    They raised slogans, held placards and wore black armbands during Revenue Minister Hammad Azhar’s budget speech.

    As the minister concluded presenting the budget, the premier was seen being escorted out of the house, waving his hands in the air — suggesting he was least bothered about the ruckus.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Earlier, a Rs7 trillion austerity budget for the fiscal year 2019-20 was presented by the PTI government. It received severe criticism from opposition parties who termed the budget “anti-people”.