Distracting remarks in Parliament

The acting Speaker Akhter Hamid Siddiqui's expunction of such derisive remarks by the lawmaker together with the reactive comments of the opposition leader have helped restore equanimity in the House disrupted by the opposition walkout. This has to be welcomed.

We all know that the country is passing through one of its most difficult times and there are so many burning issues on the table that the parliament has no time for exchange of invectives, innuendoes and personal remarks between the ruling and opposition party members. These are distractions that must be religiously avoided.

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Although it must be said that it has become a part and parcel of our political culture to be indulging in remarks that are offensive in nature and aimed at hurting one another, we are happy to note that the parliament has, after a long while, set a precedent by recording its disapproval of unwarranted and indecent comments. We earnestly hope that from now on good sense will prevail and words of relevance and substance befitting the parliament will be exchanged on the floor of the House.

While we are on the subject, there is one other point we would like to raise here relating to the remark that the leader of the opposition purportedly made to the press to the effect that if ruling party lawmakers should make derogatory remarks against opposition MPs the latter also reserve the right to be making such comments. We are rather disappointed by her remarks, which we so much wish she had not made at all. Why such a national leader of her stature stoop as low as that?