ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Wednesday was told to leave the upper house of Parliament after he refused to apologise over his remarks but he ignored Senate Chairman’s direction and remained seated amid opposition protest.



Remarks about Mushahidullah: Senate chairman asks Fawad to apologise



The Senate witnessed noisy protests upon the arrival of the information minister and taking the floor, as PML-N Senator Mushahidullah Khan and others demanded of him to apologise for accusing him (Mushahidullah) of giving out-of-turn promotions to his brothers in the PIA.

The minister wanted to speak in the House while Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani said they were informed that he would first apologise for what he said on the floor of the National Assembly. He tendered an apology but not without saying, “why should I apologise. Should not I call a dacoit a dacoit. Already people criticised me why to apologise to those, who had looted the national wealth”.

Talking to journalists, later, he charged that Mushahidullah’s brothers Rashidullah, Sajidullah and Mujahidullah were inducted in PIA and afterwards two of them given promotions and posted at important positions abroad. He alleged the PML-N senator, who could not be elected as councilor, became senator after carrying luggage of Nawaz Sharif and began speaking against the army.

Rumpus started in the House when the minister rose to explain his remarks against PML-N senator, but Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani pressed the minister to wrap up things by extending an apology to the enraged Mushahidullah without going into more details.

After the chair insisted that the minister must tender an apology, the situation aggravated, as the opposition senators demanded that the minister must not say anything else except apologising, which the minister rejected straightaway.

He insisted that he was ready to apologise but he wanted to place some facts before the House first. The opposition lawmakers including of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) stood up from their seats when Fawad in his explanation said that he was quite right in his remarks, as Senator Mushahidullah in the last PML-N government got appointed his real brothers against key positions in PIA abroad in New York and London.

The minister also repeated his remarks that had caused quite a stir in the National Assembly and afterwards, the issue got settled over the apology by Fawad there. “A thief must be dubbed a thief, why should I apologise,” shouted the minister while responding to a protesting Mushahidullah, who wanted him not to say a single word against his brothers’ appointment but bury the issue.

The Senate chairman kept pressing the minister to apologise as ‘agreed at his chamber’ in presence of Leader of the House Shibli Faraz. “This House cannot be run in this way. You cannot talk in such a way about the member of this house,” Sanjrani reiterated.

Mushahidullah continued shouting while his microphone was switched off and demanded that the minister should be forced to leave the House. The opposition kept shouting that Fawad be banned at least for one month from the Senate.

Normalcy returned to the House for some time when the chair directed to open the mic of the Leader of the House Shibli Faraz, who said that they wanted that the minister should come and either he should clarify the issue or apologise if needed.

Opposition Leader in the Senate Raja Muhammad Zafarul Haq said that the minister should apologise first as directives of the chair was binding on everyone. Initially, Fawad declined and accused the PML-N senator of getting appointed a number of his family members including his three brothers in the national flag carrier. Amid furor, the chair suspended the House proceedings for 15 minutes and asked the minister to come to his chamber.

After the House resumed, Fawad tendered apology, saying, “He did not mean to hurt or attack anyone personally, but some facts must be placed on record in order put the record straight. “My intention was not to hurt someone, if anyone has any issue over my statement, I apologise over my remarks,” he said.

He then again wanted to explain what he called certain facts about PIA and illegal promotions. He added the state institutions were ruined by illegal appointments and alleged Mushahidullah’s brothers were posted at important positions and given promotions without the relevant board’s nod. However, the chair intercepted him to remind that he had apologised and the matter had been settled. But this failed to calm the minister down. Sanjrani then adjourned the House to meet again Friday morning.