Former Spokesperson for Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government and leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Barrister Saif, walked off from a show with Beenish Saleem after shouting on air at the anchor.
Saif, along with Brigadier (retired) Farooq Hameed, was a guest on Tuesday’s episode of Neo’s ‘Seedhi Baat with Beenish Saleem’, appearing via audio beeper.
The PTI leader lost his cool when the host asked him why his party approached the court to ensure that elections were not delayed when the Peshawar bombing had taken place just a day earlier and the official three-day mourning was not over.
“Life goes on. It does not mean that PTI is not saddened by what happened,” Barrister Saif said, adding that linking the elections to what has happened would be a “bhondi harkat” (clumsy attempt). He again emphasised that elections in the province must be held on time.
Beenish then asked him if he wanted to respond to which he said, “Your mind is already made up. How will I respond.”
He then accused Beenish Saleem of being “biased”. When the host responded, he said, “Aap apna mun bandh karrain gee to main baat karoon ga,” (I will talk only after you shut your mouth).
In a progressively heated tone, Barrister Saif then said that Beenish Saleem was only concerned with raising her ratings. “Are you not doing your show? Did you not eat food after the bombing? Does life stop after the incident?”
When asked once again if PTI Chairman Imran Khan had not asked to hold negotiations with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and set terrorist free as a gesture of ‘goodwill’, Barrister Saif said, “Bandh karrain program aur jaain yahan say,” (Shut down the program and leave) calling the show a “do takkay ka program” (a two-penny program).
A heated verbal exchange followed, at the end of which Barrister Saif disconnected the phone and walked off the show.
