ISLAMABAD: The opposition on Monday disrupted the proceedings of the National Assembly for the fourth consecutive sitting after pointing out the lack of quorum after a walkout on the issue of the three missing aides to PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari.
During Question Hour, PPP Chief Whip Ijaz Jhakrani drew Speaker Ayaz Sadiq’s attention to the empty front row of the treasury and asked him to take action like Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani had, who had adjourned house for an indefinite period and also offered to resign due to the continued absence of ministers in the house.
Naeema Kishwar of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (F) also protested the absence of ministers and asked the speaker to take steps for ensuring ministers attend proceedings.
The speaker said he could not stage a walkout like the opposition and that he can only suspend proceedings.
Opposition leader urges government to bring forward resolution for misuse of blasphemy laws
Speaking on a point of order, opposition leader Syed Khurshid Shah said the present condition of the house shows the government does not want to run both the houses of parliament.
Mr Shah said quorum had been pointed out some 200 times on 120 occasions the last four years and that proceedings were suspended due to the lack of quorum for which the presence of 86 members, one-fourth of the total 342 member-strength, is required.
He said during the PPP’s five years in government, quorum was only pointed out six times and proceedings were suspended once.
Delivering a rhetoric speech, Mr Shah criticised the government for the poor law and order situation, loadshedding, water issues in Sindh and economic policies.
Referring to the prime minister’s statement in which he condemned the lynching of Mashal Khan over blasphemy accusations, Mr Shah said the premier should have come to parliament and urged the nation to together condemn the perpetrators of the crime.
He regretted that people had started setting up their own courts in the name of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and that so far 65 people had been killed due to blasphemy accusations for which not one person had been hanged.
He urged the government to bring forward a resolution against those who incite people to take the law into their hands in the name of religion and those who misuse blasphemy laws.
The opposition leader criticised the government for not being able to improve the power shortage in the country.
“Where are the claims of eliminating loadshedding in the country,” he asked.
At the end of the PPP government, he said, the shortfall was of 4,100MW which had now increased to 5,000MW and people suffer through 12 and 18-hour loadshedding.
The government has paid the Rs480 million circular debt and there was no audit of the amount paid to power companies. The government is increasing rates and the people are also not getting electricity.
He then discussed the matter of three people associated with former President Asif Ali Zardari going missing in Sindh and Islamabad. He said parliament had approved the Constitution Amendment Bill reinstating military courts and a provision that the arrested must be produced before a magistrate in 24 hours and be given the right to hire a counsel of choice.
He accused the government of insulting parliament by not implementing laws regarding military courts and called for presenting the missing persons before courts.
Mr Shah said since the government could not trace the missing persons or furnish a satisfactory reply, they should stage a walkout from the house like they have been doing since April 12.
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Dr Shireen Mazari also urged the government for bringing a resolution against the misuse of blasphemy laws, saying her party will bring the resolution if the government cannot.
The opposition members staged a walkout then, leaving PPP’s minority MNA Ramesh Lal to point out the quorum after which the deputy speaker first suspended proceedings and later adjourned the house till Tuesday without taking up an agenda item.
Published in Dawn, April 18th, 2017
