Ban on word 'selected' for PM imposed 'because of prime minister's ego': Bilawal

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Monday asked: "If the government does the Opposition's job, then who would do the government's job?"

The PPP chief was addressing the Parliament here in the federal capital.

Bilawal also questioned the decision to ban the lawmakers in the Lower House of Parliament from calling Imran Khan a "selected prime minister" in the National Assembly.

Bilawal said: "Heard the deputy speaker has banned the word 'selected'?

"It's quite weird to see you banning one word," he added, referring to Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri's move to issue the Sunday ruling.

Lawmakers barred from calling PM 'selected' in National Assembly

Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri says using the word 'selected’ for the prime minister is an insult to the entire House

"This ban has been imposed because of the prime minister's ego. None of the government's words can be censored.

"You're further fuelling the fire," he added.

The PPP boss further commented that doing so "doesn't mean that those problems go away," he said, warning that "those problems fester and then they come back to haunt you later."

"It's very unfortunate that in Naya Pakistan, the space for democratic rights and human rights is receding," he stressed.

The PPP chair further said: "We respect this House [but] this House is being held a hostage."

He spoke of how Shaheed — or martyred — former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had given Pakistan its constitution and Quaid-e-Azam talked of parliamentary democracy.

"This House is responsible for the rights of the people, and we're their spokespeople," Bilawal said. "If the House is not given its due respect, it will start portraying the setting from George Orwell's novel."

—This is a developing story and will be updated as the speech progresses