MLAs come to blows in AJK assembly

The members of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly Monday came to blows after Faheem Rabbani of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) threw a cell phone aiming at former prime minister Raja Farooq Haider, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

Earlier, Opposition Leader Latif Akbar, while speaking on the floor of the assembly, had accused Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas of greasing palm of PTI Chairman Imran Khan for becoming a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) which drew a reaction from the treasury benches.

While coming down hard on the AJK premier, Opposition Leader Latif Akbar said that the speech of Sardar Tanveer Ilyas, in a public meeting of Bagh, had left the heads of the entire Kashmiri nation hung in shame.

He said that one million forces of India had turned Kashmir into a jail. “What message would have been sent to the occupied Kashmir by the prime minister’s public address in Bagh. Are we here in the assembly to listen from a prime minister that they will hit our heads with shoes?” Latif Akbar deplored.

“The prime minister has reached the assembly after greasing palm of PTI Chairman Imran Khan while I have been in the assembly since 1985,” he alleged. The accusation caused the MLAs on the treasury benches to make a ruckus.

At this, the Speaker of the AJK Legislative Assembly intervened and asked the MLAs on the treasury benches to bring a privilege motion if they had any objection to the speech of the opposition leader.

Opposition Leader Latif Akbar, however, brought a privilege motion against the Leader of the House, stating that Sardar Tanveer Ilyas had used bad words against him on media and also accused him of taking money from Zakat funds.

He sought investigations into these allegations.

Meanwhile, PTI MLA Faheem Rabbani threw a cell phone aiming at former prime minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan. It made MLAs from the opposition and treasury benches come to blows. The meeting of the assembly was adjourned till 10am tomorrow.

The speaker of the assembly invited Raja Farooq Haider Khan to his chamber. The workers of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) also reached the assembly building in large numbers.

They demanded that Faheem Rabbani be handed over to them. “If Faheem Rabbani does not apologise by 3pm, he will be responsible for the consequences,” they warned.

The protesters also attempted to open the gate of the assembly. Police also arrived in large numbers. Officials of the administration including deputy commissioner were also present on the occasion.

Reporter: Safeer Raza