A heated exchange was witnessed Friday in the Senate Standing Committee on Communications, where Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan and Senator Palwasha Khan traded harsh words, bringing the meeting to a halt for a while, 24NewsHD TV reported on Wednesday.
The confrontation began when Senator Palwasha Khan raised questions during the session, prompting a sharp response from the federal minister.
During the exchange, Palwasha Khan questioned the minister’s authority to speak in such a manner, to which Abdul Aleem Khan responded that respect must be mutual and accused committee members of resorting to personal attacks.
The situation escalated further when both sides exchanged harsh remarks, including the use of the words “shut up,” triggering strong reactions from committee members.
At one point, the minister remarked that “dishonest people from everywhere have gathered here,” intensifying the controversy.
Senator Palwasha Khan objected strongly to the minister’s conduct and asked the committee chairman to issue a ruling on what she described as the minister’s rude and inappropriate behaviour.
She maintained that asking questions did not amount to levelling allegations and questioned why the minister was taking her queries as a personal insult.
She also asked whether mentioning a private housing society constituted a crime, stating that she had merely raised a legitimate question.
The federal minister, on the other hand, said he had been accused in the Senate of benefiting his own housing society and considered such questions a personal humiliation. He warned that he could bring the senator’s actions before the public if provoked further.
As tensions rose, Senator Pervaiz Rashid attempted to mediate and calm both sides, but his efforts failed to defuse the situation immediately.
Following the verbal altercation among committee members, the committee chairman intervened and urged them to exercise restraint.
On the chairman’s direction, Federal Minister Abdul Aleem Khan later offered an apology, allowing the meeting to resume.
Meanwhile, the Secretary Communications also left his seat and approached Senator Palwasha Khan in an attempt to pacify her.
Senator Palwasha Khan demanded strict action against the minister over his conduct and reiterated her call for a formal ruling from the committee. Other committee members also intervened, urging calm and attempting to move the meeting forward.
Despite the tense exchange, the Senate Standing Committee on Communications continued its session, during which the federal minister proceeded with a briefing on ongoing and upcoming projects of the ministry.