MUZAFFARABAD, June 24: Opposition members in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly staged a token walkout here on Tuesday to protest against the “inaction” of the Speaker Sardar Siab Khalid on a reference seeking disqualification of Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan for his alleged support to the Chenab formula.

The leader of opposition and four of his colleagues - Sardar Ghulam Sadiq, Chaudhry Amin, Haji Javed Akhtar, Deevan Ghulam Mohiuddin - tabled separate privilege motions stating that the police and the administration had blocked their movement to the assembly building on the budget presentation day on Saturday, June 21.

The Speaker declared the motions in accordance with the rules and referred them to the privilege committee. However, he withheld decision on the privilege motion of opposition’s Chaudhry Maqbool wherein he had stated that a stranger (a police commando in civvies) had attacked him in the assembly hall during the budget presentation.

Finance minister Shah Ghulam Qadir said on a point of order that he would also table a privilege motion because his privilege was also breached on Saturday by three opposition members when one of them tore apart his budget document.

Later, when the house was about to take up debate on budget, opposition’s Gulzar Fatima stated on a point of order that the house lacked quorum when the finance minister was delivering his speech on Saturday.

The Speaker did not agree with her contention.

Ms Fatima stated that it was not possible for the opposition members to initiate debate on the budget, because they were not provided with the copies of the budget document.