Watch: Tensions flare as Aleem Khan, Palwasha Khan trade barbs in Senate panel

ISLAMABAD: A sharp war of words broke out between Federal Minister for Communications Aleem Khan and Senator Palwasha Khan during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Communications, with a video of the exchange later circulating online, ARY News reported.

The confrontation began when Senator Palwasha Khan questioned whether a recently constructed road was designed to benefit a specific private housing society. She maintained that raising such questions was her constitutional right as a senator.

Aleem Khan reacted strongly, calling the allegation a “personal insult” and denying any wrongdoing. In an angry outburst, he remarked that “all the dishonest people of the world have gathered in this committee,” prompting further escalation.

Senator Palwasha Khan accused the minister of losing his temper because he felt “embarrassed” by the question. “You are crossing all limits,” she told him, while also demanding that a formal ruling be issued over what she termed the minister’s inappropriate conduct.

The exchange intensified as both sides traded personal remarks. Aleem Khan warned that if personal attacks continued, he would respond in kind, adding that he did not wish to “go down to that level.” Senator Palwasha Khan, in turn, insisted that asking about public funds and infrastructure was not an accusation but accountability.

Throughout the session, the committee chairman attempted to intervene and calm the situation as tensions remained high.

Following the meeting, Senator Palwasha Khan reiterated that if a public road benefits a specific housing society, it is legitimate to question it. She also criticized what she described as the conduct of members of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s cabinet and said she would raise the issue before her party’s top leadership.

The incident has sparked fresh debate over decorum and accountability within parliamentary committees.