News Desk |
Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Qasim Suri has directed the parliamentarians to refrain from using the word ‘selected’ for the Prime Minister Imran Khan. “The members of the assembly have been elected through votes and the house will not tolerate any insult to them,” Suri said during a session of the National Assembly on Sunday.
The opposition parties have accused PM Khan of coming into power through cheating during elections.
The assembly continued its debate on the budget on a holiday to make up for the time lost because of protests by both treasury and opposition members during proceedings earlier in the week.
Even members of NA are banned of freedom of expression, think of rest of Pakistan. Word Selected banned in NA but how will they ban Millions of Pakistanis who consider & call Imran Khan as #SelectedPM. This kind of attitude of Govt is not tolerable.@BBhuttoZardari @ShahNafisa pic.twitter.com/Z7ManK21kE
— Farooque Bhayo (@FarooqueBhayo) June 24, 2019
The restriction was imposed when the Federal Minister for Power Division Omar Ayub Khan said that the members of the assembly should be barred from using the word ‘selected’ for Imran Khan. The deputy speaker while agreeing with him said that: “all members of the assembly become a part of it after securing votes. No one should use this word in the assembly. It is an insult to the parliament.”
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Who used the term ‘PM select’ first time?
Apparently, Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was the first to use the term ‘PM select’ in parliament.
The assembly continued its debate on the budget on a holiday to make up for the time lost because of protests by both treasury and opposition members during proceedings earlier in the week.
On August 17, 2018, Bilawal had used the term for the first time while delivering his maiden speech in National Assembly and said he was also the prime minister of ‘donkeys’ and ‘living corpses’. He said that he congratulates the “PM select” for coming into power.
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“I want to remind Imran that he isn’t the prime minister of just one party. He is the prime minister of the entire country. Imran is also the PM of those whom he called living corpses, donkeys, goats and sheep,” Bilawal had said. The PPP chairman had addressed the house after Imran Khan was elected as the 22nd prime minister of Pakistan.
The opposition parties have accused PM Khan of coming into power through cheating during elections.
PPP to Oppose Ban Imposed by Deputy Speaker: Zardari
Meanwhile, the PPP decided on Monday to oppose the ban imposed by the National Assembly deputy speaker on the use of the word ‘selected’ for PM Khan.
PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari while talking to journalists at an accountability court in Islamabad questioned the legitimacy of the move and said the PPP would hold consultations with lawyers to ascertain all possible legal options.
While asking all parliamentarians to deliberate on the issue, he said “we must ascertain whether the government even has the authority to impose such a ban.”
Read more: Zardari warns “Go Imran Go” slogans to echo across the country
Also, PPP vice president Senator Sherry Rehman said the ban on the word ‘selected’ was a manifestation of the prime minister’s insecurities. “PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was the first person to use the word ‘selected’ for PM Imran. It is quite telling to see that this word has now become a part of Imran Khan’s identity; this single word sums up his political journey,” she said.