“If we tolerate this and don’t raise our voice against it, it will soon become the norm”
ISLAMABAD:
PPP Senator Palwasha Khan has submitted a privilege motion to a Senate committee against Communications Minister Aleem Khan for “highly unbecoming” conduct of a public office holder.
Last week, a seemingly routine question about the performance of the Communications Ministry turned into a heated debate at a Senate standing committee meeting, leading to a verbal tussle between Aleem and Palwasha.
The exchange, which quickly went viral on social media, took place when Senator Palwasha questioned the federal minister on the performance of the ministry and a specific road project.
Aleem Khan reacted angrily to the issue, accusing Senator Palwasha Khan of aligning himself with dishonest individuals.
At a press conference in the federal capital on Tuesday, Senator Palwasha, along with other party members, condemned the behavior of the Communications Minister.
She stressed that this was not a personal issue, but a matter of the collective dignity of Parliament and that silence on this point would not be appropriate.
“If we tolerate this and don’t raise our voice against it, it will soon become the norm.” She clarified that she doesn’t blame anyone.
“I had submitted a written question a few months ago as part of the rights granted to legislators. However, the responsible officials never responded, which subsequently led to this question being added to the Senate Standing Committee’s agenda.”
Palwasha argued that she had raised an issue regarding a road built by the National Highway Authority and funded by taxpayers’ money. “I asked if it was built for the public good or to give an advantage to a specific society.”
“Raising questions about the use of public resources is the fundamental duty of legislators,” she added. “Time will decide who was at fault and who suffered injustice,” the senator said.
