Priorities
Rehman Malik of the PPP, according to Daily Express (05 June 2017), opined that Pakistan ought to play a role in mediating between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and that to this end, the Prime Minister ought to leave aside all other affairs and set off for these two countries.
Partying in Parliament?
Senator Hafiz Hamdullah of the JUI(F) was quoted by Daily Dunya (09 June 2017) as saying that in the Parliament Lodges, aside from Members of Parliament and Senators, their guests have also begun smoking hashish (chars) and that the smell from it has made it difficult to sit in Parliament. He also stated, on a Point of Order in a Senate session, that the Parliament Lodges are infested with mice. The Senator went on to remark that despite all the talk of peace and rule of law in the country, addicts had taken over the Parliament Lodges, and that if Parliamentarians and their guests are hashish-users (charsi) and alcoholics (sharabi) then what will become of the common people?
Lots of bad eggs
Daily Nawa-i-Waqt (09 June 2017) reported that the Punjab Food Authority seized eggs worth crores (tens of millions) of rupees which were rotten. Some of the 1.1 million eggs seized were so bad that chicks had hatched from them.
“We’ll do the same!”
PTI chief Imran Khan was quoted by Daily Nawa-i-Waqt (09 June 2017) as saying that ‘Motu [Fatty] Gang’ was attacking the Joint Investigation Team (JIT). He stated that the incident involving Sheikh Rasheed outside Parliament was orchestrated also by the PML-N, and warned that he and his allies too might also retaliate by doing the same as the ruling party.
Undeterred Oracle?
Leader of the Awami Muslim League Sheikh Rasheed predicted that the government will be a guest for only 100 days more. According to Daily Dunya (10 June 2017), he went on to allege that the ruling party was responsible for the incident involving him outside Parliament, and that the purpose of such tactics was to silence him, but that he would not give up speaking the truth. He said he would pursue the Sharif brothers until his dying breath.
Returning fire
Rana Sanaullah of the PML-N termed Sheikh Rasheed a “thug”. He was quoted by Daily Nawa-i-Waqt (10 June 2017) as saying that Sheikh Rasheed became Sheikh Rasheed on joining the PML-N and becoming a member of the national assembly – and that before this he was merely “Sheeda Tully” of Rawalpindi. Rana Sanaullah went on to say that seeing the dispute between Sheikh Rasheed and the man who accosted him outside Parliament, it seemed to him that the claimant was truthful, not the former.
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men?
According to Daily Dunya (11 June 2017), Abid Sher Ali of the PML-N stated that a “Minus Nawaz Sharif” formula was never acceptable and never will be. He went on to say that even Imran Khan’s elders (barray) could not force the Prime Minister to resign, but that political jugglers (madaari) were gathering once again.
Amit Shah on Gandhi
Daily Dunya reported (11 June 2017) that the BJP’s Amit Shah termed Mahatma Gandhi a “chalak baniya” (cunning moneylender), leading to a war of words between the ruling party and the Congress party.
“I saw it!”
The PTi’s Naeem-ul-Haq, according to Daily Nawa-i-Waqt (11 June 2017), stated that he was witness to the government having offered 10 billion rupees to Imran Khan in exchange for his silence on the Panama affair.
Paper Tigers
According to Daily Nawa-i-Waqt (11 June 2017), the PPP’s Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that Paper Tigers (Kaghazi Sher) and Fake Players (Jaali Khilaari) could not compete with his party, and that after Eid they would begin giving a ‘tough time’ to the government.