Pakistan ruling ally demands minister’s apology after Senate clash

Pakistan Peoples Party, a key partner in Pakistan’s ruling coalition, demanded on Monday that Federal Minister Aleem Khan apologize on the floor of parliament following a heated verbal exchange with Senator Palwasha Khan during a Senate committee meeting last month.

The issue was raised by PPP Senator Sherry Rehman at a meeting of the Senate Business Advisory Committee chaired by Senate Chairman Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani.

Rehman told the committee the matter had also been discussed at the party’s parliamentary meeting and said the minister’s remarks had caused distress among PPP lawmakers.

Rehman said three PPP senators were present during the committee meeting where the exchange took place and quoted Aleem Khan as saying, “I am not answerable to the thieves.”

She said the minister’s language and choice of words were inappropriate and hurt members of parliament, adding that he should apologize in the house.

She said the matter would not have escalated had Aleem Khan apologized immediately. “We have apologized for matters which we did not even commit,” she told the committee.

Gillani backed the demand for a formal apology by recalling a past diplomatic exchange. “On the Salala attack case, U.S. President Barack Obama apologized to me personally,” Gillani said. “I told him, don’t apologize to me, apologize to the nation.” He agreed the apology should be made on the floor of the house, even after being informed that Aleem Khan had already expressed regret over his behavior.

A senator present at the committee meeting told Nukta on condition of anonymity that Aleem Khan had made a mistake and had agreed to apologize. The senator said the minister was also willing to visit Senator Palwasha Khan’s home to apologize in person.

When the Senate session commenced Monday, Senator Palwasha Khan took the floor and said standing committees were an extension of the house. “I am an employee of this house,” she said. “It is my right to ask questions about PKR 2 billion corruption in the National Highway Authority for a road.”

She criticized members of the cabinet, saying, “These rogue elephants in the cabinet think they can walk over and attack everyone.” She added that the corruption allegations had also been mentioned in an International Monetary Fund report and requested the chairman issue a ruling on the privilege motion she had submitted.

Later, Rehman told the house she had contacted Aleem Khan and asked him to apologize formally. She said the minister informed her he would be returning from Umrah on Jan. 25, while the Senate session would continue until Jan. 27. She said the apology should be made in the house because the incident occurred during a committee meeting and was widely reported in the media.

Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar later apologized on the Senate floor on behalf of Aleem Khan, saying, “I seek collective forgiveness from Senator Palwasha Khan.” He added that lawmakers were colleagues and such incidents could occur “in the spur of the moment,” and said the matter would be resolved.