The Punjab Assembly (PA) on Friday witnessed an exchange of hot words between members of the opposition and ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) following one of the opposition members passed ‘objectionable’ remarks against Prime Minister Imran Khan, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

When Arshad Malik, member of the assembly from the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), called PM Imran a ‘drug addict’, PTI members of the Punjab Assembly (MPAs) stood on their seats to record protest.

The Opposition was not in a reconciliatory mood either as its members tore copies of the agenda.

This enraged Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat who demanded expulsion of ‘irritating’ members of the opposition. “These people don’t deserve to sit in the House,” he remarked.

“The way they have flung copies of the agenda after tearing them apart makes them unfit to sit in the House,” he said, and requested the speaker to call Sergeant at Arms to expel them from the assembly.

“Their leaders are thieves. And still they have the courage to point fingers at our prime minister,” the Punjab law minister said, and challenged MPAs belonging to PML-N to come out on the roads and have a ‘duel’ with PTI members. “But we will not let them use ‘foul’ language against our worthy prime minister,” he said categorically.

Punjab Minister for Housing, Urban Development and Public Health Engineering Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed on the occasion said it was no secret that members of the opposition and their leaders were ‘certified corrupt’. “Country’s courts have declared them ‘corrupt’,” he said, and added, “If Arshad Malik does not take his words back, we will not allow proceedings of the House to continue.”

Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi suspended membership of MPAs Arshad Malik and Mirza Javed for making ‘inappropriate’ comments against PM Imran.

The PA session had to be prorogued for 15 minutes on account of ‘hooliganism’ from both sides.