• Hanif Abbasi suggests that the Minister of Defense resign instead of “abusing bureaucracy for advertising”
• PTI BOICOTTS NA PROCESEDINGS, it has a ‘public assembly’ outside the Parliament’s house
Islamabad: The differences within the federal cabinet appeared on Tuesday during a debate from the National Assembly on the crisis of floods when the Minister of Railways, Hanif Abbasi, openly criticized the defense minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif for his comments on the management of the government disaster.
Although he did not appoint his colleague of the Cabinet, Abbasi made multiple references to the speech of the Minister of Defense on the floor of the house one day before.
He even suggested that Mr. Asif renounce the cabinet instead of “leveling accusations against Parliament and abusing bureaucracy just to win [media] advertising”.
Meanwhile, the members of the opposition PTICotar the procedures and organized a “public assembly” parallel outside the house of Parliament to protest the alleged political victimization.
Speaking in the debate, Abbasi accused some politicians of attack institutions simply to become viral on social networks. “If this is all they have to say, government banks should leave and sit in the opposition, because this language does not adapt to treasure members,” said Abbasi, who was chosen from Rawalpindi.
On Monday, Khawaja Asif had described the recent devastation as a “disaster made by man”, blaming politicians and bureaucrats for uncongeneous invasions on river roads and for allowing housing and hotels societies in the beds of the rivers.
He also urged local government elections, criticizing the government of his own party in Punjab for not having them.
He also blamed a “contracting company” for the devastation of floods in his constituency at home, Sialkot.
In response to the speech of the Minister of Defense, Abbasi said that those who had been part of the system during the last 40 years now criticized the system and “demanded local government elections.”
Abbasi took the floor when Mr. Asif had already left the Assembly Hall after briefly attending the procedures.
“Does a contractor dare to carry out poor work and flee with money in Rawalpindi?” Abbasi said, stating that it was the responsibility of the MNA to maintain control over such activities.
He said that blaming the entire bureaucracy was unfair, noting that the obsession for becoming viral in politics had become a “disease.” “I have seen the politicians give up the cabinet every time they raised a finger. They left the ministry but stayed in the party,” he said while indirectly suggested that the defense minister renounce the cabinet.
Minister of Federal Water Resources Maden Wattoo said that the surveys were underway to assess the losses related to floods, including damage to crops, cattle and houses, with compensation that will be provided to all affected families. He said that estimates were being completed to guarantee timely financial assistance.
PTI protest
Previously, before leading a strike, the leader of PTI, Asad Qaiser, said his party was standing with the victims of the flood and that the leadership had already ordered the party workers to visit the affected areas.
However, he said that the party had decided to boycott the procedures of the National Assembly to protest the policies of the “fascist” government, adding that PTI members had already presented their resignations of the permanent committees.
Meanwhile, speaking with journalists after his meeting with former Prime Minister Imran Khan in Adiala prison in Rawalpindi, the president of the PTI, the lawyer Gohar Ali Khan said that the decision of the party to resign the permanent committees was “final and irreversible.”
Citing the former prison prime minister, according to the reports, said that Imran Khan completely supported the decision of the party to boycott the partial elections and supported the resignations presented by the members of the parliamentary committees.
Posted in Dawn, September 3, 2025
