ISLAMABAD, April 19: The combined opposition in the National Assembly and Senate announced on Saturday that it will consider moving a no-confidence motion against Chairman Senate Mohammadmian Soomro.
It described his attitude during Friday’s uproarious Senate session as “partial” and “unparliamentary”.
It also took exception to Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali’s statement that Gen Musharraf was his “boss”, and that he was working under him.
The combined opposition termed the remark a humiliation of the democratic system and a breach of parliament’s sovereign right which had elected him to the post.
“It was a matter of humiliation that a prime minister of the country, elected by parliament, dubbed himself a servant of the chief of army staff, who was himself a government servant,” it said.
Speaking at a joint news conference at parliament house on Saturday, the leaders of the opposition reiterated their stand that they will not accept the presidential powers under the LFO, and continue their struggle against them.
MMA chief Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani said the combined opposition met in parliament house and discussed the conduct of Chairman Senate Mohammadmian Soomro and Leader of the House Wasim Sajjad, and termed it “undemocratic”.
Others present on the occasion were PPP’s Mian Raza Rabbani, MMA’s Prof Khurshid Ahmed and Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, PML (N)’s Ishaq Dar, Pakhtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party’s Raza Mohammad Raza and JWP’s Amanullah.
Maulana Noorani said protests and desk-thumping were quite normal in parliamentary democracy — acts also performed in India and other countries. But they never culminated in the prorogation of the house.
He criticized the propaganda unleashed on official electronic media about the expenses incurred on conducting parliamentary sessions. He said they were not ready to tell the nation about the expenses incurred on the president house during the last three years.
Soomro’s stance
Meanwhile, Chairman Senate Mohammadmian Soomro told a news conference on Saturday that he had conducted the upper house on Friday according to his own will and he was ready to face its consequences.
He said he remained relaxed throughout the pandemonium under the impression that the opposition might end its protest to attend to its own agenda, since the house had been requisitioned by it.
He claimed that the order of prorogation was his own, and not influenced by someone’s advice.
He said he was ready to talk to the opposition on all issues and had already initiated the process by inviting all the parliamentary party leaders to his chamber by telephone.
He said he believed that the Legal Framework Order had become part of the Constitution, but if required the government and the opposition could hold talks on it.
Mr Soomro said he was ready to face privilege motions sought to be moved by the opposition and even would welcome if they moved a no-confidence motion against him.
