ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Friday passed a motion to form a special committee to investigate allegations of sexual harassment levelled by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) disgruntled MNA Ayesha Gulalai against party chairman Imran Khan.

The formation of the committee was approved on the demand of Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and several other members from both the treasury and opposition benches.

The committee, comprising one member from each party, will be constituted soon with the responsibility to complete in-camera investigations into the matter in a month.

Imran welcomes move, claims innocence

The PTI chief, in a statement later, welcomed the initiative. “I welcome the committee as I did nothing wrong,” he said.

In the house, members of the PTI and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) were of the view that not only Ms Gulalai’s case but other matters of such nature, including the issue of derogatory remarks passed by Foreign Affairs Minister Khawaja Asif against PTI member Dr Shireen Mazari, should also be probed by the committee.

“It is a matter of sensitive nature which should not be discussed on the roads. Therefore, a committee should be formed to discuss the issue in camera,” the prime minister said in the assembly after chairing his first cabinet meeting.

“Both (Ms Gulalai and Mr Khan) are our respected members and this is a matter of the house, therefore, it should be settled here,” he said.

He assured both the accused and the accuser that they would be respected, adding that the PTI chief had the “right to defend himself”.

The prime minister also promised complete protection for MNA Gulalai after she claimed on television that she was being threatened. “I have ordered security so that no one can harm her,” he said.

While quitting the PTI this week, Ms Gulalai had accused Mr Khan and the leaders around him of having an “immoral character” and alleged that he had sent her objectionable messages by phone. The MNA, who hails from Waziristan, alleged that she had received the first such message from Mr Khan in 2013.

The PPP’s Shagufta Jumani raised the issue and said Ms Gulalai was being threatened with an acid attack and her mobile phone could be snatched. “The media trial of Gulalai should be stopped and the matter should be investigated in the house,” she demanded.

She was of the view that if such harassment was not stopped, parents would be compelled to think whether they should send their daughters outside their homes for work and politics.

On this, Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi, who was presiding over the session, deferred the question hour and opened the house for a debate on the issue.

This led to shouting in the house by members from both sides.

Marvi Memon, chairperson of the Benazir Income Support Pro­gramme, lashed out at Mr Khan for alleged sexual harassment and hailed Ms Gulalai for standing up to him. “We believe that Gulalai is telling the truth and we condemn this abusive act of Imran Khan,” she said.

She refuted allegations that the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz was instigating Ms Gulalai to malign Mr Khan and said he could not evade justice over his act.

Asif’s past remarks

Reacting to the call for a committee, PTI’s chief whip Shireen Mazari said if investigations were to be conducted, they should begin with the new foreign minister as he had passed derogatory remarks against her in the assembly.

Last year in June, Mr Asif had used derogatory language when she and some other lawmakers were protesting during his speech.

Ms Mazari said Mr Asif had not apologised to her after the incident, asking why women members of the PML-N had not raised their voice on her behalf at the time. “If Ayesha Gulalai has proof, she should come forward with it. She does not have proof,” Ms Mazari claimed.

MNA Dr Nafeesa Shah of the PPP said Mr Khan had the right to defend himself in the matter. She asked if the PTI would take any action against the party workers who had targeted Ms Gulalai’s sister who was a national squash champion. “This is how we treat our champions. Misusing her photo is also sexual harassment,” she said.

She said the Women Caucus of parliament should be reactivated as it did not perform its duties. “The caucus has never taken action on such issues,” she said.

Ms Shah also demanded that the case of Mr Asif and Ms Mazari also be sent to the special committee.

In his statement, the PTI chief demanded forensic test of the mobile phone of Ms Gulalai’s father and claimed that the PML-N was behind the issue in a bid to malign him.

Published in Dawn, August 5th, 2017