–Info minister reveals details of PML-N senator’s family members employed in PIA after Mushahidullah offers to resign
–Raza Rabbani says ‘has never witnessed such an environment in his 26 years as senator’
ISLAMABAD: The Senate’s session on Wednesday was disrupted once again as Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Mushahidullah Khan continued to trade barbs.
The ruckus was triggered when Senator Mushahidullah asked the information minister to tender an apology as soon the minister arrived at the floor of the upper house.
Fawad retorted that he would not apologise as the matter was being investigated by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). “Then let the inquiry end before you come to parliament,” snapped Mushahidullah.
The minister maintained that Senator Mushahidullah’s whole family was in the PIA and there was no way he would apologise for what he said. “I still stand by it,” he said.
The PML-N senator challenged the minister that if he [Fawad Chaudhry] manages to find six people from his [senator’s] family who are part of PIA, he will resign from his post. He, however, added that if the minister fails, he should be the one to resign from his position.
As the back and forth between the minister and the senator continued, former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani took the floor and said that the behaviour shown by both sides was unprecedented and unbecoming. “I have never witnessed such an environment in the last 26 years that I have been in the Senate,” he said.
“Such an environment has been created that Senate proceedings have to be postponed. In such circumstances, you [the speaker] should exercise your authority,” he continued.
Senator Rabbani also pointed out that the Senate chairman’s ruling cannot be challenged.
Later, the Senate chairman managed to broker a tentative truce between the two sides. However, soon after that, Chaudhry issued what was allegedly a list of all the ‘members’ of Senator Mushahidullah’s family who were currently employed by the PIA.
In a tweet, the minister shared a document showing names and details of the induction of Mushahidullah’s family members in the national carrier.
Details of Mushahidullah Brothers and Cousins employed by PIA, PIA hosted Senator for 54 Thousand Pounds operation in London… Aur Maafi b mein mangoon? pic.twitter.com/4DG1jXl0xN
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) October 10, 2018
As per the document, Mushahidullah himself joined the PIA as a loader in February 1990, and resigned in May 1997 as a passenger service supervisor.
His bother Rashidullah Khan joined the airline in June 1978 as a traffic assistant and worked his way up as a deputy general manager of the commercial department in 2007. Rashidullah was then nominated as a country manager in New York and retired from PIA in August 2016, according to the tweet.
Another brother of Mushaidullah, Sajidullah Khan is presently posted as the PIA’s station manager in London. He has served five years of his tenure in foreign posting, instead of three years.
Sajidullah was also posted in Birmingham as a station manager for three years and was also awarded Chauffeur Drive Business to M/s ARL Services in the UK in an alleged violation of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules, resulting in 67,000 pounds ad hoc payment.
His cousin Mutiullah and brother-in-law Ahmed Nadeem Pasha are also PIA employees and the latter is currently working without any assignment, the document reads, claiming that the promotion of Pasha from PG-VI to PG-VII was not processed as per the corporate rules.
The two were back at it when the proceedings resumed.
Last week, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani adjourned the Senate session as the opposition’s protest against Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry intensified over his criticism of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Mushahidullah Khan.
The Senate chairman had demanded an apology from the information minister over his remarks. However, Chaudhry refused to apologise and said: “Why should I apologise from those who looted national exchequer. Mushahidullah Khan appointed his entire family in the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).”
The opposition members, subsequently, protested over the remarks.
As the ruckus intensified, Senate Chairman Sanjrani temporarily suspend the House proceedings. During the break, the chairman summoned the information minister to his chamber.
After the resumption of the session, the information minister apologised, only to attack Mushahidullah again.
In an earlier session of the National Assembly, Chaudhry issued an apology after the threat of a protracted walkout by the opposition.
