ISLAMABAD (DNA) – Former president and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari has stated that members [of the parliament] would be engaged in a consultation on whether deputy speaker of the National Assembly (NA) could prohibit calling prime minister a “selected” one.

Yesterday, deputy speaker Qasim Khan Suri termed the use of word “selected” for the prime minister “an insult of the entire house”, saying that every member, including himself, sitting there was an elected representative of the general public. He said legislators themselves damaged the sanctity of the house by using such words.

Earlier, speaking on a point of order, the Minister for Power, Omar Ayub Khan quoted some rules of the assembly and asked the deputy speaker to stop the opposition members from using the term “selected” for the premier and threatened that the ruling party members would move privilege motions against those who would use this term in future.

He also asked him to expunge this word from the house proceedings whenever used.

On the other hand, PPP Senator Sherry Rehman asked if the prime minister was not “selected”, then why using this word was being prohibited [in NA].

“This word uttered by Bilawal has become Imran Khan’s identification,” she said, adding that yesterday the premier had rang out applause on the use of the word ‘selected’ and today he has put a ban on using it.

She further said that the prohibition showed his insecurity and termed it “ridiculous.”

“If Imran Khan had been made a councilor of Mianwali, then the country wouldn’t have been in such a state today,” she added, adding that if such a person, who was ineligible to win a seat even of a councilor, is “selected as prime minister”, then obviously the country would be devastated.