- Minister condemns alleged assault on Punjab Assembly press gallery member
- Vows defamation notice over false allegations against her
LAHORE: Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari on Tuesday staged a walkout from the Punjab Assembly in solidarity with journalists boycotting the legislature over alleged “ill-treatment” during Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi’s recent visit.
The development follows a letter sent by KP Chief Minister Afridi to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Monday, in which he expressed “deep concern” over the treatment he received in Lahore, describing it as marked by “discourtesy and unnecessary hostility.”
During his three-day visit to Lahore over the weekend, Afridi addressed opposition MPAs at the Punjab Assembly. The visit, however, was marred by clashes between members of his entourage and security personnel, while heated exchanges between PTI leaders and journalists were also reported.
Speaking during Tuesday’s assembly session, Azma Bokhari staged a walkout to support journalists from the Punjab Assembly’s press gallery, alleging they had been “beaten and pushed around” by individuals accompanying the KP chief minister.
Her protest came after opposition member Col. (retd) Shoaib Amir sparked outrage during Monday’s session by calling members of the press gallery “sellouts.”
“The whole world witnessed the spectacle in the assembly on the arrival of the KP CM,” Bokhari said, adding that arrangements had been made for the chief minister’s visit. She alleged that Afridi “brought unauthorised persons with him, who claimed to be journalists,” and that they physically assaulted members of the press gallery and behaved inappropriately.
“The footage is available in the assembly’s records,” she noted, adding that instead of apologising, the opposition “doubled down” on their conduct.
Bokhari also addressed allegations against her, saying she was accused of planting journalists during the KP CM’s visit. “I was told that I had paid my employees to pose as journalists,” she said, vowing to send a defamation notice.
“In solidarity with Punjab’s journalists and members of the press gallery, I’m staging this walkout,” the minister said.
On Monday, Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan announced that an inquiry into the chaos surrounding the KP chief minister’s arrival would be sent to law enforcement agencies for further investigation.
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