PESHAWAR, April 13: Speaker of the NWFP Assembly Bakht Jahan Khan adjourned the assembly session for lack of quorum soon after recitation from the Holy Quran on the first day here on Tuesday.
After settling on his podium at 9.55am, the speaker went ahead and adjourned the day's agenda for the lack of quorum. The opposition parliamentary groups, which requisitioned the session to find out why the NWFP government had failed in sending its development schemes to the Ecnec this year, criticised adjournment of the session.
The opposition lawmakers were of the view that the speaker had covered up the ineptness of the government for the lack of quorum which was nothing more than a lame excuse. They said that the speaker had become a party on the Ecnec issue and abandoned his impartial status as custodian of the House.
Talking to newsmen in his chamber, opposition leader Shahzada Gushtasap Khan said it was unbelievable and unprecedented in the history of the Frontier's assembly.
The adjournment was made on the directive of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, which had failed to deliver any good despite running governments in two provinces, he said. The speaker could have waited till the completion of the required quorum, but he didn't, opposition leaders added.
Abdul Akbar Khan of the People's Party Parliamentarians was of the opinion that it was a pre-planned move to sabotage the debate and provide a safe passage to the inept MMA government, which had failed to secure a single project from the federal government.
He said that the Ecnec had approved Rs 345 million for the schemes proposed by the provinces this year, but the NWFP government had failed to send even a single development project to the Ecnec.
He said why the MMA government accused the centre for its own wrong doings. "We want to speak on government's failure in sending the schemes to the Ecnec, but the government wants to evade it on all costs. The MMA has proved that it could not run the government."
Mr Khan said the lack of quorum was mere a pretext and speaker knew lawmakers, who belonged to different districts, usually came late on first day. "The National Assembly meets in the afternoon on first day of the session to facilitate the MNAs who come from far flung areas," he added.
If the opposition was not allowed to speak on this issue, they would submit a requisition for third time, he added. Bashir Ahmed Bilour of the Awami National Party said the chair had sided with the government and bulldozed the day's agenda. The opposition would not allow the MMA to destroy democratic norms on the one or on the other pretext, he added.
The speaker refuted all the charges levelled against him by the opposition parties and explained that it was the duty of the opposition to maintain the quorum and come in time in the House. "They had submitted a requisition for the session, but they were absent from the House. I have done nothing illegal," he added.
Later, talking to newsmen in conference room, senior minister Sirajul Haq said the MMA government had sent scores of schemes to the Ecnec. He said he would speak on the issue during the current session.
