Ruckus in NA as Khawaja Asif calls Shireen Mazari 'tractor trolley'
Opposition members protested against Khawaja Asif's derogatory remarks.
ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) – The National Assembly witnessed uproar today (Wednesday) as Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif called Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker Shireen Mazari a ‘tractor trolley’, Dunya News reported.
The obnoxious remarks were condemned by the opposition members, forcing Speaker Ayaz Sadiq to expunge those words from the assembly proceedings.
Shireen Mazari raised some other lawmakers protested against loadshedding during Ramazan when Khawaja Asif addressed the House on electricity situation.
“Mr. Speaker, ask this tractor trolley to be quite,” the minister remarked.
He further said: "Make her voice more feminine,"
Meanwhile, Shireen Mazari stood on her desk terming Khawaja Asif’s remarks as an insult to women.
“This attitude is wrong. He is insulting women,” she said.
Later, she posted a message on Twitter:
Told Kh Asif if he had any "sharm or haya" he wld know how to deal with women but he was besharam & behaya! Luckily my voice louder than his
— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) June 8, 2016
Other politicians quickly reacted to the harsh words:
I asked the speaker to make Kh Asif apologise but he was content on expunging remarks only. KAsif does it every time https://t.co/inoLzCqL8q
— Dr. Arif Alvi (@ArifAlvi) June 8, 2016
kh. Asif ney GHQ ka chakar kia lugaya AUQAT hi badal gai,Khawateen sey budtamizi kurney lugey"kuch sharam hoti hi kuch haya hoti hi"
— Syeda Shehla Raza (@SyedaShehlaRaza) June 8, 2016
No Sharam and no haya! Kh Asif needs basic lessons to address women with respect @ShireenMazari1
— Sharmila faruqi (@sharmilafaruqi) June 8, 2016
Responding to Khawaja Asif’s offensive remarks, PTI Spokesman Naeemul Haq said "Khawaja Asif should be hung upside down for his vulgarity and misbehaviour, and should be beaten with a shoe 25 times in the morning and 25 times in the evening."
This is not the first time that a PML-N lawmaker has used such unparliamentary language in the House. In June last year, PML-N leader Talal Chaudhry had referred to PTI MNA Shireen Mazari as "aunty". Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq quickly took notice of Chaudhry‘s remarks, asking for the word to be expunged from official records.
In protest, opposition parties staged a walkout from the Lower House of the Parliament to protest the remarks made by the PML-N legislator while National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq also left the House over remarks made by his fellow party member.
Talal Chaudhry later apologised for the remark and took his words back.
