A live debate on a Pakistani news channel took a violent turn on Wednesday (September 27) when PML-N Senator Afnan Ullah Khan referred to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan as an ‘agent of Jews’ in the presence of PTI spokesperson Sher Afzal Marwat.
During a talk show on Express News, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Afnan Ullah Khan claimed that former Prime Minister of Pakistan and PTI chairman Imran Khan is an agent of Jews and has been working against the interests of the country.
Infuriated by this, PTI spokesperson Sher Afzal Marwat slapped the PML-N leader and the two then indulged in a fight on national television. Afnan Ullah Khan claimed that Imran Khan is the biggest “Boot Chaat” (bootlicker) in the country.
یہ لٹا کر شدید پھینٹیں پروگرام کیا گیا ہے سیاست میں برداشت ہوتی ہے پی ٹی آئی کسی اور ہی دنیا میں جی رہی ہے اب اگلے لٹا کر مارتے ہیں مارتے بھی ہیں گنتے بھی نہیں ۔۔ pic.twitter.com/0xM76yjnQA
— Faisal Ranjha (@ranjha001) September 28, 2023
“From General Pervaiz Musharraf to others, he (Imran Khan) has licked the shoes of so many,” Khan said. Meanwhile, PTI’s Sher Afzal also abused the PML-N leader and his party. Thereafter, Afnan Ullah Khan went on to call Imran Khan a “HaramKh*r” as well.
The PML-N leader went on to assert that Yahudis (Jews) were the fathers of Imran Khan. Fuming in anger, the PTI representative in the debate got up and slapped Afnan Ullah Khan. The fight between the two leaders of Pakistan’s prominent political parties reached a point where the backstage crew had to intervene.
While taking to X (formerly, Twitter) on Thursday (September 28), PTI spokesperson Sher Afzal claimed that the Express-News journalist hosting the said talk show was spreading rumours that the PML-N leader was a “Superman”.
Express TV host Javed Chaudhry is spreading misinformation about last night's unpleasant incident. He is spreading rumours that my opponent was a Superman. He is not telling the reality which is that Afnan Ullah ran away from the studio and took shelter in a nearby room, which I…
— Sher Afzal Khan Marwat (@sherafzalmarwat) September 28, 2023
Sher Afzal added that he is planning to file a defamation suit against Afnan Ullah Khan. Meanwhile, the PML-N leader posted on X that although he believed in non-violence, he was a soldier of Nawaz Sharif and that he taught a befitting lesson to PTI’s Sher Afzal Marwat.
مروت نے کل ٹاک شو میں مجھ پر حملہ کیا، میں عدم تشدد پر یقین رکھتا ہوں مگر میں نواز شریف کا سپاہی ہوں۔ جو پھینٹا مروت کو لگایا ہے یہ تمام پی ٹی آئی اور بالخصوص عمران خان کے لیے ایک اہم سبق ہے، کہیں شکل دیکھانے کے قابل نہیں رہیں گے، بڑی بڑی کالی عینکیں لگانی پڑیں گی۔😁 pic.twitter.com/si4jvyboeJ
— Senator Dr. Afnan Ullah Khan (@afnanullahkh) September 28, 2023
According to a Pakistani media report, this is not the first instance of violence on a live debate show, as Pakistani leaders have also been involved in violent clashes on live TV shows in the past as well.
In 2019, PTI leader Masroor Ali Siyal clashed with journalist Iftikhar Ahmed on a talk show. On another debate show presented by Javed Chaudhry in 2018, PTI leader Naeemul Haque slapped PML-N leader Daniyal Aziz.
