ISLAMABAD: Leader of opposition Syed Khurshid Shah on Wednesday demanded investigation into the allegations of harassment levelled at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan and other leaders by MNA Ayesha Gulalai.

In a statement, Shah expressed shock over the accusations of the woman lawmaker and said an inquiry into her allegations should be carried out because a woman cannot level accusations of such nature on her. Slamming PML-N lawmakers for bringing ousted Nawaz Sharif’s pictures in the National Assembly’s session convened to elect new prime minister, the opposition leader said since Sharif was no more member of the assembly; the speaker should have taken notice of the pictures and barred the members from bringing them in the assembly. Not taking notice showed his political bias, he said and added Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmakers never brought pictures of their leader in the house.

He was equally critical of bureaucratic machinery for depriving the public of reduction in the prices of petroleum products on the recommendation of Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra). Ogra had earlier recommended a reasonable reduction in the prices of petroleum products; however, its summary couldn’t be implemented in the absence of the competent authority such as prime minister or cabinet.

A day before, Ayesha Gulalai Wazir, the MNA who announced to leave Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), in a press conference accused the party chief Imran Khan and his cronies of sending inappropriate and explicit text messages to female members.

Gulalai categorically rejected the PTI claim that she demanded party ticket to contest elections from NA-1, and said that there are several other reasons which led to the decision to leave PTI, one of which was indecent messages from Imran Khan and his cronies. —NNI