PTI's Ali Nawaz, Shireen Mazari exchange heated words over NA ruckus

ISLAMABAD (92 News) - Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari and PTI MNA Ali Nawaz Awan exchanged heated words over Tuesday’s ruckus in the National Assembly (NA) on Thursday.

According to the party sources, the PTI lawmakers criticised each other at a PTI parliamentary party meeting in Islamabad. It was presided over by Defence Minister Pervez Khattak.

"We should not have made such a commotion in the NA," Shireen Mazari said during the meeting. "Should we stay quiet and let them abuse and injure our women [members]," Awan replied swiftly.

The meeting was summoned to devise a strategy to get the Budget 2021-22 approved by the assembly. Various proposals came under discussion on the occasion.

A majority of participants believed that the government should adopt a reconciliatory tone in the budget session, instead of an aggressive policy.

It is the responsibility of the government to get the budget passed and it should act responsibly, they suggested.

On Tuesday, the National Assembly (NA) session has been turned into battlefield during the speech of Opposition Leader in NA Shehbaz Sharif as PTI MNA Ali Nawaz Awan hit PML-N leader Sheikh Rohail Asghar with a book.

The NA witnessed a noisy session on Tuesday as soon as Shehbaz Sharif started speaking, he was greeted by loud jeers, slogans and whistles from the treasury members. The government members stood on their seats and chanting slogans and whistles to disturb the speech of the opposition leader.

Even the lawmakers from the treasury benches started to go towards Shehbaz Sharif and surrounded him, however, PML-N members and other opposition members formed a fence and a protective circle around the opposition leader. The jeering and slogans got louder as Sharif took aim at the government.

As tempers rose when the government and the opposition lawmakers came face-to-face. Ali Nawaz Awan abused the PML-N lawmaker. He hit the Sheikh Rohail Asghar with a book on the face after shouting angrily at him.

On the occasion, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry were also seen standing by their seats. Another minister, Ali Amin Gandapur was also exchanging words with the opposition lawmakers.

NA Speaker Asad Qaiser urged treasury and opposition benches to show restraint but failed to control the situation, after which he had to adjourn the session for 20 minutes.

Later, the speaker of the National Assembly, unable to control the situation, had adjourned the session.