A day after the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and the PPP members exchanged barbs and nearly got into a physical altercation in the National Assembly, the session resumed on Tuesday morning with opposition members tearing into recent comments by the government.

Chaired by NA Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri, the sitting began with a speech by senior PPP leader Khursheed Shah.

Shah took a jibe at Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry's remarks from yesterday, in which the minister had suggested that the people protesting on roads and certain politicians should be sent to space for causing unrest in the country.

Replying in the same mocking tone, Shah said he had heard that the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) had been "asked to transport miscreants to space".

"[I] have heard that Suparco has asked for the data of last five years. The House will be empty, if the plan goes on," he said, suggesting that the majority of those who have been creating unrest during the last five years are sitting in the National Assembly.

"We demand the commission to seek data of only last three months," he added.

The PPP stalwart maintained that whatever happened in the assembly on Monday was unpleasant. "We don't want to create unrest in the assembly. The speaker had called us in his chamber and the opposition was there but the treasury members did not turn up," he claimed.

He warned the government members against continuing with the "politics of name-calling".

Resolution seeking holiday on Iqbal's birthday opposed

The assembly later discussed a resolution seeking a public holiday on November 9, the birth anniversary of Allama Muhammad Iqbal.

Interestingly, the resolution was moved by PML-N MNA Dr Nisar Cheema but it was opposed not only by the government and the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), but the PML-N itself.

Cheema said in order to pay homage to the great poet and thinker, it would be appropriate to declare Nov 9 a public holiday. He called that Allama Iqbal Day was observed as a holiday previously, but it was ended a few years ago.

He said the government had allowed 52 offs annually by declaring Saturday as a weekly holiday along with Sunday, but it was not ready to observe one holiday meant to pay tribute to Iqbal.

PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal said the same proposal was placed before him for consideration last year as well when he was the interior minister.

He said instead of enjoying picnics and parties and sitting idle on a holiday, schools and colleges should be asked to arrange special ceremonies and programmes to pay tribute to Allama Iqbal on Nov 9.

Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi opposed the resolution, saying that Prime Minister Imran Khan and his cabinet members believed in hard work and they had not taken even a single holiday.

Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari also opposed the idea and expressed surprise as to how the PML-N MNA had moved the resolution when his own party was not supporting it.

The mover of the resolution, Cheema, argued that the reasons given by the lawmakers in their opposition to the resolution should also apply for Quaid-i-Azam's birth anniversary and thus there should be no public holiday on December 25 either.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ali Mohammad Khan suggested that the resolution should not be rejected and instead the mover should be asked to either withdraw it or bring improvement in it.

After opposition from the house, however, the PML-N lawmaker did not press for the resolution.

The NA later unanimously passed a resolution paying tribute to slain Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam chief Maulana Samiul Haq and condemning his murder.

'Ashamed'

Two PPP and PTI lawmakers who had a verbal clash and nearly exchanged blows on Monday also spoke during today's session.

Syed Rafiullah of the PPP said he was ashamed over the incident, but asked the speaker to stop the treasury members from using what he called derogatory language.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf's (PTI) Abdul Majeed Khan said the opposition should desist from ridiculing a tribe or clan in their speeches. He was referring to a remark by PPP's Shazia Marri, who had likened the deal reached between the government and religious groups protesting against the Aasia Bibi verdict to the 1971 surrender by Gen Niazi that led to the separation of East Pakistan.

"Calling Niazis as traitors is wrong," Khan stressed, adding that when Gen Niazi had surrendered in 1971 "we were not even born".

The session was subsequently adjourned till 11am on Wednesday.