By Zulqernain Tahir

LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly could not complete its Tuesday’s business following ‘infighting’ among women legislators over what their male colleagues called a ‘petty’ issue.

The women legislators of both treasury and opposition boycotted the session to register their protest against PML-N’s Shahzadi Umerzadi Tiwana for her comments.

Responding to PML-Q’s Samina Khawar Hayat’s ‘indecent’ remarks about PML-N’s Sanaullah Masti Khel, Ms Tiwana said she had been elected through ballot and those reaching the assembly on reserved seats had come from ‘another world’ and were wasting the time of the house by indulging in ‘useless debates’. She accused Ms Hayat of humiliating a senior parliamentarian.

PML-Q’s Mohsin Leghari was seeking Punjab government’s support for removing ‘a misunderstanding’ between Punjab and Sindh over Chashma-Jhelum Link Canal project on a point of order when Ms Hayat and Masti Khel’s exchange of harsh words derailed the proceedings.

When Deputy Speaker Rana Mashhood, who was in the chair, refused to give time to some women treasury members on a point of order, all of them left the house, saying they were boycotting the session (in protest).

It was not clear by then whether they boycotted for not being given time by the chair or any other issue. The deputy speaker asked ministers Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor and Farooq Ghurki to meet with them and know the reason for their ‘sudden action’.

After meeting with them, the ministers informed the house that the women legislators wanted ‘strict’ action against Ms Tiwana and would continue the boycott till the acceptance of their demand.

MMA’s Ali Haider Noor Niazi asked the chair not to allow anyone to waste the house’s precious time and settle the issue of ‘elected and selected’ members once for all so that it must not affect the proceedings every now and then.

Although the deputy speaker constituted a two-member committee comprising Chaudhry Ghafoor and Khwaja Islam to look into Tiwana-Hayat matter and fix the responsibility, he continued allowing the women legislators to speak, who were pouring in one by one, to express their views on the point of order involving the issue.

It appeared the women legislators were making a mockery of the house by either demanding action against Ms Tiwana or criticising their male colleagues for raising the gender issue and turned a deaf ear to the chair’s requests to continue with the house’s business.

PPP’s Azma Bokhari claimed 80 per cent of the house’s proceedings were being run by the women ‘elected’ on reserved seats. She said the difficulties faced by women legislators in the PML-N government were more than they went through during a dictator’s (Gen Musharraf) rule. She said as the reserved seats had become a ‘slur’ it would be better to do away with them.

Ms Bokhari futher said Shahzadi Tiwana should not be allowed to sit in the house till she tendered an apology.

PML-N’s Ghazala Saad Rafiq said women could even win on general seats and they did not mind if the reserved seats were abolished.

PPP’s Fauzia Behram and Faiza Malik also complained of ‘discriminatory treatment’ meted out to women legislators. The women legislators even demanded action against Mr Ali Haider Noor Niazi for his ‘anti-women’ speech.

On this point, the PML-Q women legislators smelt a ‘conspiracy’ in the speeches of their colleagues with whom they were united minutes before.

“A conspiracy is being hatched to end the reserved seats for women”, said PML-Q’s Amna Ulfat on point of order, referring to the speeches of Azma Bokhari and Ghazala Rafiq.
Source: Dawn
Date:2/10/2010