LAHORE: Women MPAs of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) had a verbal clash outside the Punjab Assembly building on Tuesday over an issue which surfaced during the house proceedings.

It started when PPP’s Nargis Faiz, on a point of order, requested Shahbaz Sharif to allow the memorial at the site where Ms Bhutto was assassinated. PML-Q’s Samina Khawar Hayat interrupted her and passed some remarks. Faiz gave her a “shut-up” call.

Faiz, Sajida Mir and Azma Bukhari took it as an insult of their slain leader and got infuriated. They demanded the speaker oust “the plunderers” from house. Senior minister Raja Riaz, however, tendered an apology to the opposition benches on the conduct of Faiz.

After the budget speech was over, the PPP trio – Faiz, Mir and Bukhari – waited for Hayat outside the assembly chambers and exchanged hot words with her.

Bukhari said Hayat was spared because she was a woman. “Had there been a male member insulted my leader, he would have got his bones broken.”

Earlier, proceedings of the house started over an hour late than its scheduled time of 3pm.

Opposition leader Chaudhry Zaheeruddin and others tried to take the floor on point of orders, but Speaker Rana Iqbal did not allow them to do so, citing rules of business that disallow any other activity but presentation of budget for the day.

The chair gave in when the opposition members insisted that the point of order related to the budget.
Source: Dawn
Date:6/17/2009