ISLAMABAD: Following an alleged brawl between a lawmaker and an official from the Capital Development Authority (CDA), PML-N Parliamentary Leader Khawaja Mohammad Asif said on Tuesday that the Parliament Lodges should be managed by the National Assembly Secretariat.

Speaking on a point of order, Mr Asif said sanitation arrangements at the lodges were not satisfactory and it would be in the interest of the house that this matter be referred to a committee for suggestions.

He said it would be better if administrative control of the lodges was taken from the CDA and handed over to the National Assembly Secretariat.

Addressing the National Assembly speaker, Mr Asif said the issue had been resolved but sanitation at the lodges had been unsatisfactory for decades.

CDA Director Parliament Lodges Tahir Mahmood had alleged on Monday that PML-N MNA Azhar Qayyum Nahra and three “goons” entered his office and humiliated him.

He said that the MNA was angry because he believed Mr Mahmood did not take a call from him, and threatened him. Mr Mahmood said he did not receive any calls from the MNA.

He also lodged a complaint with the Secretariat police against the MNA, while CDA staff posted at the lodges went on strike on Tuesday to protest the MNA’s behaviour.

Mr Nahra denied the allegations while speaking to Dawn, claiming that Mr Mahmood was an incompetent official saying he had misbehaved to cover up his failure to carry out maintenance and sanitation work at the lodges.

“I had also filed a privilege motion against him, but for the time being it has been stopped as my party leaders handed the matter to National Assembly speaker,” he said.

CDA Member Engineering Humayun Akhtar told Dawn the CDA staff had called off their strike and the matter is being resolved amicably.

“Today, several PML-N leaders including Ayaz Sadiq sahib took up the issue. It has almost been resolved,” he said.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2020