PESHAWAR: A minister and a lawmaker, both known for rowdy behaviour and bad temper, used derogatory language and created a scene and thus, leading to the disruption of the proceedings in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Tuesday.

The house looked like a marketplace as self-proclaimed parliamentary leader of the PPP Nighat Orakzai and public health engineering minister Shah Farman, who belongs to the PTI, bulldozed the house`s decorum and traditions through abusive exchanges.

Scuffles and the use of un-parliamentary and abusive language have become a hallmark of the Pakistan Tehreelei-Insafdominated assembly, which is often referred by the lawmakers as a jirga of Pakhtuns. However, the Tuesday sitting turned ugly due to the brawl between Shah Farman and Nighat Orakzai.

`Be quiet, toor makhay (`black face` used as derogatory and abusive word in Pashto),` minister shouted when thewoman MPA rushed towards his desk to intimidate him as she protested his remark for inviting women lawmakers to talk to him separately to discuss their grievances regarding the allocation of development funds.

`Look here. Be quiet. I am talking so don`t malce an issue of it now,` he responded when the agitating lawmaker insisted the minister to withdraw his `double meaning` words.

Nighat Orakzai, who rushed towards the minister`s desk, was responding in the same tone, but her remarks weren`t noted due to the loud noise.The use ofslanglanguage apparently amused MPAs and others sitting in official and press galleries.

Deputy Speaker Dr Meher Taj Roghani, who was in the chair, failed to maintain order in the house and adjourned the sitting until Friday afternoon.

The trouble began in the assembly when the chair gave the floor to minister Shah Farman to respond to the demand of the opposition`s women MPAs for development funds. They complained of gender discrimination saying the government did not give them funds.

Shah Farman said there were 36 departments and he could not give reply on behalf of all of them. `I can speak only on water.

Women lawmakers can meet me separately,` he replied smilingly.

`I can only discuss the issue of water with women MPAs,` said the minister,whose department deals with the supply of drinking water schemes in urban and rural areas.

His remarks irritated women MPAs from the opposition benches.

Nighat Orakzai immediately moved towards the chair`s dais and asl(ed the deputy speaker to ask the minister to withdraw objectionable words.

The minister was reluctant to take his words back though Dr Roghani asked Shah Farman to withdraw his remarks.

The chair later ordered the expunging of the remarks from the records.

Nighat Orakzai continued her tirade and proceeded towards the minister`s desk asking him to apologise for his remarks. Her intimidating posture irritated Shah Farman, who resorted to harsh language.

The important business felt victim to the pandemonium, which has become a matter of routine in the 124-member house. Apart from question hour, several adjournment motions and call attention notices, the sitting was slated to dispose of important bills.

The house was to pass the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Societies Registration (Amendment) Bill 2017 and the Kaghan Development Authority Bill 2017 into consideration, while the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ehtesab Commission annual report 2016 was also on the agenda.

These important items were deferreduntil Friday. Earlier, PTI MPA Zareen Zia, on a point of order, criticised the remarks of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif against women attending PTI rallies.

She said Kulsoom Nawaz used to lead rallies and participated in protest meetings when her husband was in jail during the government of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf.

The opposition lawmakers also protested the `unequal` distribution of funds for development schemes insisting the government was releasing funds to the selected constituencies.

Raja Faisal Zaman of the PML-N said the government was using funds in the name of development schemes to bribe MPAs of the ruling party and opposition benches.

He claimed that the opposition MPAs had been offered funds on the condition of contesting next elections on the PTI ticket.

Finance minister Muzafar Said rejected the claim saying the question regarding funds had been admitted for detailed discussion.

He said there was no justification for discussion on the matter and that he would brief the members on the subject on Tuesday.

Senior minister Inayatullah Khan while brushing aside the criticism of the opposition said the federal government was also ignoring the opposition MNAs in the allocation of funds.