Tamasha is not an unparliamentary word, states Nisar
21 December, 2013
ISLAMABAD: The term "tamasha" is not an unparliamentary word, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said while clarifying his comments that triggered boycott by the opposition members in the National Assembly.
The interior minister had termed the vote verification issue a "drama staged by a single party" during an earlier National Assembly session.
Angered at Nisar's tone, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had announced they would boycott the lower house proceedings until the minister took back his words.
Speaking in the house on Friday‚ Nisar regretted the attitude of Pakistan People's Party and Pakistan Tehreek-e Insaf in the house.
He said the two parties are insisting to withdraw the word which has frequently been used in the parliamentary proceedings.
Nisar said there should be a valid logic or reasoning behind demands made by the opposition members and accused them of creating an issue out of a non-issue.
Nisar said that the opposition wanted me to withdraw the word 'Tamasha', and tomorrow they will ask me to withdraw my whole speech.
"Those boycotting NA session are still getting TA, DA", he added.
Without naming PTI, Nisar said these parties claim of bringing change in the politics but they are not ready to discuss issues pertaining to the common man.
Talking about the thumbprint verification process, the interior minister said he had offered to form a committee with members from the opposition benches to look into this matter.
"We have gone out of our way to facilitate all the concerns raised by the opposition members," he said, adding that the government's intentions are good and the government has never interfered in it.
He requested the opposition lawmakers to not be stubborn and show flexibility in order to jointly address problems faced by the country.
Meanwhile, leader of the opposition Syed Khursheed Shah Friday said that the Interior Minister, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan must take back his word 'Tamasha' uttered in the parliament, which the opposition parties consider it to be contemptuous remark against the opposition.
Talking to private TV here, Syed Khursheed Shah said that he would be seen standing with the government in every difficult time, but insisted for taking back the word 'Tamasha' uttered by Chaudhry Nisar in the parliament.
He said that Chaudhry Nisar was in the habit of heating up the environment of the assembly through his speeches.
Referring to the dollar weakening against rupee, he said it augurs well and added he would not make the government target of criticism.
As regards local bodies elections, he said that the success of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) in Karachi hinged on the voters' leanings.
Leader of the opposition, Khursheed Shah said that the government would have to take a decision on the Taliban issue soon or the situation would deteriorate.
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