Over 200 MNAs demand suspension of Dasti's NA membership
05 June, 2014
ISLAMABAD: More than two hundred members of the National Assembly on Wednesday submitted a privilege motion for the suspension of MNA Jamshed Dasti's membership of the Lower House of parliament for his allegations of immoral activities in the Parliament Lodges.
The independent MNA from Muzzafargarh, Punjab, has often made headlines for his "weird moves", with his latest coming during the presidential address and presentation of the federal budget. He intermittently interrupted the budget speech and tore a copy of the finance minister's budget speech apparently to draw attention to himself. The budget session proceeded smoothly otherwise.
On Wednesday over two hundred members of the National Assembly, from all the major parliamentary groups in the House, submitted the privilege motion, seeking suspension of his membership of the House "for defaming the parliamentarians" in February this year. The women lawmakers showed more enthusiasm in moving the privilege motion, as almost all of the female members of the House signed the motion.
The motion said that Dasti had defamed parliamentarians, including female MNAs, by accusing them of engaging in immoral activities in the Parliament Lodges.
Dasti had accused parliamentarians of bringing alcohol, hashish and dancing girls inside the premises of the Parliament Lodges. National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq had formed a parliamentary committee to probe the charges Dasti had levelled against his fellow lawmakers.
Dasti had claimed that he had a video footage to prove his allegations, but failed to produce credible evidence to support his claims. In the beginning this month, the committee finalised its report and did not find any substance in the allegations of the Dasti.
Coincidently, the move of the parliamentarians comes just a day after a strong warning to Dasti by the Speaker for disturbing the proceedings of the House. "Don't compel me to employ some other means to deal with you!" Ayaz had warned Dasti on Tuesday during the budget speech.
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